Providence plans to offer financial incentives in an effort to get more certified English language teachers for the district. Providence will reimburse teachers enrolling in certain ESL certification programs, up to $3,200 beginning this summer. The money will come from federal funds funneled through through the school district, and philanthropic dollars yet to be secured. […]
Education
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RI Education Commissioner On Schools Statewide: ‘No One Is Where They Should Be’
State Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green enters month three of the takeover of the Providence schools with a highly anticipated new superintendent of schools. She’s also put together a team of community members who are hammering out guidelines for the turnaround plan. She says a lot of work has already taken place behind the scenes in […]
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RI Lawmakers Propose Series of Changes For School Funding
The recommended changes represent the first major effort to retool the statewide funding formula Rhode Island has used to pay for public K-12 education since it was adopted in 2010. The series of recommendations would require millions of dollars in new funding. They also lay out plans for new data collection, new rules governing municipal […]
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Harrison Peters Steps Into The Spotlight As “Turnaround Superintendent”
Surrounded by elected leaders, education officials and reporters Monday at Leviton Dual Language School in Providence, Harrison Peters got a taste of the public scrutiny sure to accompany his new job as superintendent. In November, the Rhode Island education department took over the troubled Providence School District, which has been under fire since a scathing […]
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Tampa Area Education Official Named PVD Turnaround Superintendent
After a months-long search, the Providence Schools have a new superintendent. Harrison Peters is the outgoing Deputy Superintendent for the Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida. Peters will take the helm in Rhode Island’s largest district. The previous full-time superintendent Chris Maher left the district in 2019 and interim leaders have been serving since. According […]
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State Education Head Criticizes Language Academies Idea For Students Learning English
Rhode Island education commissioner Angelica Infante-Green is rebuking an idea floated by Rhode Island Republicans to set up language learning academies for students learning English. After Governor Gina Raimondo’s annual address to the General Assembly, where she talked about the efforts the state has made to improve education, the Rhode Island Republican party the offered […]
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No Answer For Now On Whether David Dooley Will Continue As URI’s President
Will David Dooley continue as the president of the University of Rhode Island, the state’s flagship public university? The answer is unclear for now, less than six months ahead of the July 1 expiration of Dooley’s current three-year contract. Under state regulations, Dooley was slated to make his intentions known by January 1. Tim DelGiudice, […]
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Despite Efforts To Increase Teacher Diversity, Solutions Won’t Be Quick Or Simple
For the next five years, the state is in charge of the Providence School District and one of the most significant challenges it will face is diversifying the teacher workforce. Most of the teachers are white, and most of the students are students of color. For decades, no one has come up with a way […]
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On The List For Improving Providence Schools: Tackling Teacher Diversity
Research has shown that in increasingly diverse school systems, students of color do better when their teachers look like them and share their cultural backgrounds. In Providence, about 90 percent of the students are black or Hispanic, but about 80 percent of the teaching staff is white. These percentages have remained essentially unchanged for at […]
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Providence Interim Superintendent Stepping Down Friday
Providence interim Superintendent Fran Gallo is leaving her position after about five months leading the state’s largest district. Gallo stepped in as full-time interim superintendent after the departure of former head Chris Maher. Gallo helped prepare the district for the current school year, after the release of a highly critical report from Johns Hopkins University. […]
