Rhode Island’s Heroic Moment

Rhode Island’s Heroic Moment

I just returned from the annual Yale School of Management education leadership conference in New Haven, CT. The keynote speaker was Colorado State Senator, Mike Johnston, who has sponsored a bill that would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition for college in that state. This is a bill that faces stiff opposition, but that doesn’t dissuade Senator Johnston from doing what he believes is right.

Sen. Johnston talked a lot about “heroic political moments,” which are those memorable instances that helped change or shape policy. Whether it is Nelson Mandela’s release from prison or the refusal to sit in the back of the bus by Rosa Parks, public policy was changed because of them. But it is not just the heroic moments that create change, but in what happens next. Yes, policy helps change things, but citizens sustain that change. And, in a way, it is the actions that come after the memorable moment that are the most heroic.

Race to the Top

This point is analogous to Rhode Island’s Race to the Top win. The plan itself came together through the courageous work of our political and education leaders, but what happens next is up to regular Rhode Islanders. It is incumbent upon us to be the plan’s watchdogs, and to maintain the integrity of the policy initiatives.

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It starts with strong leadership from our elected representatives to support Commissioner Deborah Gist to follow through on the strategic plan to reach our ultimate goal of providing great public schools for every Rhode Island child.

Gist Gains

Under commissioner Gist’s leadership, Rhode Island has made great gains. We approved the first statewide educator evaluation standards to ensure that our students have access to only the best educators.

We established the states first publicly funded pre-kindergarten program and lifted our state cap on charter schools, providing Rhode Island parents more choices for their child’s education.

We raised the standard for entry into our teacher preparation programs, once the lowest in the nation.

We passed the first statewide education funding formula based on student needs and district capacity, while maintaining an “A” rating on education spending on the national quality counts report card

We revised the Basic Education Program so that teacher placement in Rhode Island is based on effectiveness and student needs, instead of solely on seniority.

We won $75 million for Rhode Island students – the largest federal grant Rhode Island has ever received – through the federal Race to the Top competition, placing fifth out of 35 states in the second round. We received perfect scores for our state standards, assessment system, implementation of our statewide data system, and the use of data to support instruction. We ranked sixth in the country on the most important section of the grant, Great Teachers and Leaders.

Blueprint for Schools

The Race to the Top plan gives us a blueprint for providing the best public schools for our children. It took courage, conviction, and a relentless pursuit of quality public education that won us the $75 million from the federal government. This “win” is one of Rhode Island’s “heroic moments.” It is now beholden on our teachers, our principals, our parents, and our community to put on our hard hats and turn the blueprint into reality. Great public schools for all of our children can happen, just as all children can learn. We have been given our moment, and now we must make it last.

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