In 2018, in the wake of Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s passing comment about the need for a “transformational contract”, I wrote about what that kind of contract should look like. I described a thin contract. Fast forward almost two years and as contract negotiations fail to even get off the ground, RI education commissioner Angelica… Continue reading A Thin Contract Is Exactly What Providence Schools Need
Dear Teachers of Rhode Island, Many of you probably don’t realize that the hard work you’ve been doing for the past two months is not the norm throughout the country. You have led the way while other cities and states have been painfully slow in keeping students connected to school and to learning. Perhaps you… Continue reading A Letter of Thanks to the Teachers of Rhode Island
Ever have those moments when something seems so crazy and so wrong that you fall into that trap of optimism and naïveté, convinced that finally you have found something about which there will be universal agreement? I certainly have moments like that. And it happened this weekend when I discovered and subsequently shared the fact… Continue reading Providence Teachers’ Contract Does Not Require Teachers to Attend Parent-Teacher Conferences
Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green has finally announced who will take the reins of the Providence Public Schools in the wake of the Johns Hopkins report and subsequent state takeover. His name is Harrison Peters and he comes to Little Rhody by way of Florida. Infante-Green didn’t sugarcoat the challenges that await Mr. Peters… Continue reading Providence Finally Has a New Superintendent
Rhode Island Governor Raimondo (D) presented her State of the State address last night, quickly followed by a rebuttal by House Minority Leader Blake Filippi. While Raimondo spoke at length about education, she admitted that the the system in Providence is “broken” and promised that the district would adopt new curriculum, increase access to Advanced… Continue reading Representative Blake Filippi Stands Up for Parents, Calls Out Hypocrisy of RI Elected Officials
The Rhode Island Foundation hosted a huge education event today at the Convention Center called Make It Happen RI—Rhode Island’s Path to a World Class Public Education System, a brainstorming session to improve public education. Approximately three hundred people attended and they ranged from educators, students, parents, community and business leaders, union leaders, elected officials… Continue reading RI Commish Won’t Engage in Conversations That Don’t Center on Students
The room’s total capacity was 188 people. Providence is a district of 25,000 students and 3,000 staff. It is located in a part of the city where streets are narrow and parking is very limited—especially when Michael Bublé is performing and it’s opening night for Hamilton. But Good School Hunting has already addressed why all… Continue reading The Night They Voted To Allow the State to Take Over Providence Schools
Last night was a much anticipated meeting of the Rhode Island State Board of Education meeting—it’s impossible to imagine that those in charge did not expect a large crowd. The agenda included a vote on whether or not to allow Angélica Infante Green, the state education commissioner, to take over the Providence Schools. But somehow,… Continue reading This Is Not What Public Service Looks Like in 2019
Just weeks after the scathing Johns Hopkins report on the Providence Schools, Rhode Island’s new Education Commissioner has officially requested to take over the Providence Schools. Below is a copy of her official request (hat tip to Steph Machado of WPRI for sharing this document on Twitter.)
Angelica Infante-Green, Rhode Island’s new education commissioner, will never be known for her poker face and at a time like the one we currently face in Providence, that is actually a comfort. The pain is real. The failure is real. And it’s important for parents and community members to see disgust, disbelief and determination on… Continue reading No Poker Face in Providence
