As I shared in late May, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) launched a midterm review of the Providence Public School District (PPSD) in line with state law and statewide regulations that govern the process for how and when a school district under state intervention will return to local control. The review process engaged hundreds of Providence stakeholders and sought to:
1) Identify the progress that has been made through the Providence Turnaround Action Plan (TAP) and inform future work for sustained progress.
2) And consider if the District, the Providence School Board, and the City of Providence are ready for a return to local control.
Today, we begin the next phase of the review process with the release of two reports that evaluate the progress and capacity of the PPSD intervention. The reports include a standards- based, evidence-driven, review by SchoolWorks, a nationally recognized education consulting firm, and an analysis from the Harvard Graduate School for Education’s Center for Education Policy Research that contextualizes and evaluates PPSD’s academic performance during and after the pandemic compared to similar New England districts. The findings should not surprise anyone; they show the District is moving in the right direction towards meeting the ambitious goals we set, but more work remains.
The SchoolWorks review underscores that when we work together, PPSD can succeed. Through collaborative efforts for example, PPSD is implementing a historic school facilities plan that will invest nearly $1 billion to ensure 100 percent of students learn in new and like- new school buildings. The District has also expanded access to high-quality curriculum and innovative programs like Career and Technical Education (CTE) and 5-Star Pre-K. Recently, the District has received national attention for significantly decreasing chronic absenteeism. PPSD is also in the process of launching five redesign schools that will promote excellence in education in schools that were once failing.

Furthermore, the review notes PPSD has increased the number of families who have positive perceptions and interactions with schools and is actively implementing activities and interventions to improve student outcomes. The District’s efforts to increase access to professional development for teachers and increase the percentage with English as a Second Language/Bilingual Dual Language (ESL/BDL) Certification were also recognized. This is encouraging news, especially considering that this work was done through a once-in-a- generation pandemic that disrupted learning worldwide.

The Harvard analysis provides critical context on how PPSD did academically during and post- pandemic compared to other New England districts. The findings underscore PPSD’s resilience, showing that PPSD mitigated learning loss better and is accelerating learning post- pandemic faster than comparable districts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The District is on the right track, but it remains at a vulnerable point where progress can be easily reversed if the right conditions for long-term success are not in place. PPSD’s 2022-23 RICAS results showed an increase in math proficiency with scores surpassing pre-pandemic levels, but English Language Arts (ELA) scores remained just below. The report notes that barriers for reaching goals and new challenges brought on by the pandemic persist, and the capacity and readiness necessary to support PPSD need be strengthened both internally by the District, as well as externally by the School Board and City of Providence. The reality is that challenges remain that we must all work to address.

I want to be clear that RIDE does not and never intended to have oversight over PPSD in perpetuity. As a regulatory state agency, through our oversight, we are seeking to put in place the right systems and structures for academic excellence that PPSD has lacked for more than 30 years. I share with the City of Providence, the Providence School Board, District leadership, and the broader Providence community the mutual goal of wanting to see our students and our school community succeed. It is now time for everyone vested in the future of PPSD to come together to review the findings and work collectively to continue to propel the District forward.

In the coming weeks, as set by state law and regulations, RIDE will consult the Providence School Board, and I will begin to form my recommendation to the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education. The recommendation may be to renew the existing Turnaround Plan, create a new Plan, or exit PPSD from the intervention. I do not yet have a final recommendation and will follow the standard process to reach a determination. The Providence School Board will be engaged at their full-board meeting later this month, and I expect to submit my recommendation to the Council soon after.

As I have shared before, I made a commitment to the students, families, and educators of Providence that we would transform the District into a world-class school system that we can all be proud of. Please know that I will continue to prioritize our students’ success and wellbeing in all of our decisions. I will share more updates as we make our way through this process.

You can find the full report and analysis, a Frequently Asked Questions document, and other informational materials at https://ride.ri.gov/inside-ride/lea-reviews.