Providence School Culture is Broken: Hopkins Report Released Tuesday Paves Path for Takeover

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

GoLocalProv News Team

Providence’s school culture is broken with an exceptionally low level of academic instruction, teachers don’t feel supported, and parents are marginalized and demoralized.

These were the key findings in the Johns Hopkins School of Education’s Institute for Education Policy’s scathing review of the Providence Public school system, presented at the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting on Tuesday. 

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SLIDES: See Full Report BELOW

The $50,000 report was funded by the “Partnership for Rhode Island” headed by Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and includes CEOs such as Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and CVS Health's Larry Merlo. Of the 12 Board members, only one is a woman, Brown University's President Christina Paxson.

Former IGT executive Donald Sweitzer, now the Treasurer of the Democratic Governors Association, which is currently chaired by Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo left the Board last year.

The report found based on direct observations and interviews conducted in May with teachers, parents, and elected, education, and union officials, found:

* The great majority of students are not learning on, or even near, grade level
* With rare exception, teachers are demoralized and unsupported
* Most parents feel shut out of their children’s education 
* Principals find it very difficult to demonstrate leadership
* Many school buildings are deteriorating across the city, and some are even dangerous to students’ and teachers’ well-being

The report comes at a time when the Providence Public School District is appointing an "acting" Superintendent; actively searching for an "interim" Superintendent -- and is rumored to be the target of a takeover by the State of Rhode Island. 

Elorza as a Factor

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said in the report he would be “comfortable sending his child to any one of [the city’s] elementary schools except one” and that it is “middle school where things go off the rails.”

Elorza gave the school system a “C.”

Union contracts — and racial equity — were two particular “challenges” that the report found. 

In the findings, the report authors found that “many teachers, principals, community partners, district leaders, and members of governing bodies emphasized the negative effects of two components of the Collective Bargaining Agreement - the hiring/firing process and the paucity of professional development days. 

The report elaborates on the issue of racial equity. 

“We heard from district, state, and school staff, and from community partners, that the system inadequately addresses, and at times actively avoids addressing, the mis-match between students of color and their teachers. The current student body is comprised of close to 30% ELL students. Some 87% of students are economically disadvantaged; 65% of students are Latino.”

The report spoke to the “broken” culture in Providence schools, specifically as it pertained to school safety.

“Teachers do not feel safe in school, students don’t feel safe in school,” writes the report of Providences middle and high schools. “There is widespread agreement that bullying, demeaning, and even physical violence are occurring within the school walls at an unprecedented level.”

Elorza, when interviews by the report authors, said the “buck stops with him.”

Teachers Union on Record

Providence Teachers Union President Maribeth Calabro pointed the finger at Elorza in her interviews with report authors. 

“[Calabro’s] overall perspective is that PPSD and the union are working effectively — but that the Mayor and RIDE are not,” writes the report. 

“[Calabro] views the Mayor as a ‘detriment’ to the district’s progress,” writes the report, citing that Calabro said Elorza “micro-manages” and creates an “us vs. them” atmosphere with the union. 

The report authors noted they did not visit every school — the schedule was designed by RIDE — and that they did not talk with every stakeholder. The report did find that across the board, stakeholders noted that in the school system, there are devoted education leaders who go “above and beyond” to support student success.

“We hope that this core group of leader and teachers provided the foundation upon which Rhode Island and Providence can be built in the future,” wrote the report authors. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated at 6:02 PM to reflect that Sweitzer was no longer an active member of the Board.

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Related Slideshow: Johns Hopkins Providence Schools Report

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