Will State Take Over Providence Schools? Raimondo’s Announcement is First Step UPDATED
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced on Tuesday morning a new major initiative to review Providence schools — a process that may ultimately lead a state takeover.
Providence Schools are among the worst in the country and according to the announcement by the Raimondo administration, new Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green will move forward with “a comprehensive review of the Providence Public School District. The review will identify key causes of the district’s challenges and consider pathways for improvement.”
According to Raimondo’s announcement this morning, “The Rhode Island Department of Education will establish a team of education experts charged with conducting the review, which will embrace input from teachers, staff, families and students. The review team will produce a public report, which is anticipated to be complete in June and will inform a long-term course of action that will best serve all students.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTUPDATE - GoLocal has learned that legislation will be unveiled in the coming week in Rhode Island that one bill sponsor is calling “game-changing.” According to Representative Greg Amore, the package of bills as proposed would implement a statewide curriculum; the ability for schools — not school committees — to hire; fast-tracking of the principal certification process; and giving greater authority for the state to intervene in failings schools. READ MORE HERE.
Providence Schools are just one part of Rhode Island’s school performance issues.
In November, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released performance results for students in grades 3 through 8 on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) -- and on average, Rhode Island scored 17 percentage points lower than Massachusetts in ELA and 20 percentage points lower in mathematics.
RICAS is the Rhode Island administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) -- and no Rhode Island district scored within the top 10 percent of Massachusetts communities.
Providence Schools Worst Performing
Providence School ranked 47 out of 49 ranked for English Language Arts.
SEE TEST RESULTS HERE
Only ahead of Woonsocket #48, and Central Falls #49. Central Falls schools were taken over by the State of Rhode Island about 25 years ago and have consistently ranked at the bottom of all state and federal measures for decades.
For math, only 10 percent of Providence students are meeting expectations. SEE MATH RESULTS HERE.
“Rhode Island has an urgent need to improve schools and close achievement gaps across the state. Taking this hands-on approach in Providence is a necessary first step in working to improve outcomes and deliver high-quality education for all students in Providence,” said Raimondo. “The hardworking students, teachers and staff who work tirelessly every day in Providence schools have been let down by the system. For Providence schools to see sustainable improvement there must be a new approach.”
The Providence school district also faces a dropout rate that is nearly double the state average, as well as high rates of chronic absenteeism in high school and middle school.
“I have dedicated my career to fighting for better outcomes and more equitable access to opportunities for young people. That’s exactly what the students and families of Providence deserve, and that’s why a holistic review of the district is the right first step,” said incoming Education Commissioner Infante-Green. “My top priority is ensuring that the voices of educators, students, and families are heard throughout this process. Improving Providence schools in a meaningful way is going to take all of us working together with the best interests of students at the center of everything we do.”
This story was first published 4/23/19 10:45 AM and was updated at 5 AM on 4/24/19.
Related Slideshow: 2017-2018 RICAS ELA Rankings for “Meeting or Exceeding Expectations”
The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released performance results on November 29, 2018 for students in grades 3 through 8 on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System, or RICAS. The 2017-2018 school year was the first year of implementation for the RICAS, which is the Rhode Island administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), the assessment tool of the nation’s highest-performing state for public education.
Data was suppressed to "ensure confidentiality" for Urban Collaborative and the RI School for the Deaf because greater than 95% of students did not meet expectations; data was suppressed to "ensure confidentiality" for DCYF because the minimum reporting size of ten was not met.
Below are the rankings of school districts -- and charter schools -- with the data provided by RIDE.
