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R.I. education commissioner plans community forums
Education officials are inviting Rhode Islanders to share their ideas about how to improve schools at a series of community forums in five communities over the next month.

Mediator enters debate over Providence teacher-hiring plan
Union is challenging plan to abolish seniority in filling vacancies

URI students take Narragansett to court over ‘orange sticker’ policy
URI students, renters, landlords oppose policy designed to clamp down on partying

11/06/2009

Number of R.I. students receiving swine flu shots varied widely
With swine flu spreading across Rhode Island, state health officials are pleased that an average of 75 percent of eligible students received shots at school vaccination clinics that began Monday and continued through the week. But the mediocre response at a few clinics has raised concerns.

11/09/2009

Diversity Calendar: Nov. 9

11/08/2009

At the colleges
The University of Rhode Island’s Human Development and Family Studies Department recently became the only program in the state to offer provisional certification as Family Life Educators from the National Council on Family Relations.

11/06/2009

Smithfield High School accreditation nears end
A 15-member committee finishes accreditation assessment

Pallotta expected to head Burrillville schools
The interim schools chief will forgo retirement to take the job on a full-time basis

11/05/2009

Arts studio for Providence high school students receives national award
Receives $10,000 federal grant, one of only 15 programs to get Coming Up Taller Award

11/03/2009

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he is monitoring R.I. reform efforts
Secretary Arne Duncan urges the state to seek competitive grants for federal funds for new programs

Grant to help Latino youth apply to college
The $75,000 grant will be used to set up workshops on college applications, financial aid

Petition opposes teacher seniority
Karina Wood, right, of the East Side Public Education Coalition, and Karen Feldman, of Young Voices, present the signatures of 1,200 people to Paul Vorro, of the Providence Teachers Union, urging it to drop its lawsuit seeking reinstatement of seniority. Watch a video of the coalition presenting its petition at projo.com/video.

3-year accord approved by district, union
The Chariho Regional School District and its teachers’ union have ratified a three-year contract.

East Providence High School band group racked by dissension
The support organization has been barred from working with the music program until allegations are reviewed

11/02/2009

Brown students put food in motion
PROVIDENCE — Several dozen students gathered at the snack bar of the engineering building at Brown University on Friday afternoon. They wanted food, of course. And when someone on a bullhorn said they could help themselves, they did.

Johnston R.I. committee approves plan for solar heat at school
Installation of solar-heating system hinges on availability of federal stimulus money

11/01/2009

Lincoln school officials and a student’s mom differ on the best schooling for her son
It’s a weekday morning and Alex Azar, 12, is at home, hunkered over a laptop at the dining room table, engaged in a war game.

More children are being diagnosed as autistic
Each year, more children — nationally and locally — are identified as having some form of autism.

Julia Steiny: Ending hiring of teachers by seniority will help students

10/31/2009

Brown students put food in motion
PROVIDENCE — Several dozen students gathered at the snack bar in the engineering building at Brown University on Friday afternoon. They wanted food, of course. And when someone on a bullhorn said they could help themselves, they did.

Providence looks to Philly to stem ‘brain drain’
Internships seen as key to keeping students in Providence job market following graduation

11/01/2009

At the colleges
The master’s degree program in Labor Relations and Human Resources at the University of Rhode Island is 1 of only 44 worldwide to receive accreditation from the Society for Human Resource Management and the only public college or university in New England to fully align with the curriculum guides established by the society in 2005.

10/30/2009

Senate OKs reducing tax refunds for college loan delinquents
PROVIDENCE — The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday voted to allow the state Division of Taxation to reduce a person’s state income-tax refund if the person is delinquent on certain college loans issued by the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority.

10/29/2009

Bills fly through the House at special session
Dozens of bills, including one banning indoor prostitution, advance to Senate

10/28/2009

RWU School of Law to boost pro bono work after $250,000 donation
Providence personal injury lawyer gives $250,000 to school

Task force issues recommendations for urban school districts
Task force suggests ways to improve quality of education in urban Rhode Island.

10/27/2009

RWU School of Law to boost pro bono work after $250,000 donation
The state’s only law school plans to increase the amount of free legal services it provides to low-income Rhode Islanders and groups that advocate for the needy, after a well-known lawyer donated $250,000 to expand Roger Williams University’s School of Law Pro Bono Collaborative.

R.I.’s urban children to get nature education
Children from urban areas will get to explore nature firsthand through a federal grant the Audubon Society of Rhode Island has received to promote the study of environmental science.

10/26/2009

Middle school tour has Woonsocket students impressed
The city’s two new middle schools will take the place of a building built in 1915.

10/25/2009

E-learning keeps potential failures from dropping out
Sixteen-year-old Danny drops into a chair at Woonsocket High’s E-Learning Academy like he’s a bag of loose parts. The adults ask him to tell me his story, but with a goofy smile, he mumbles that he doesn’t know anything. A sky-blue hoodie matches his sleepy blue eyes, emphasizing his sweet, baby-faced youth, even as a sparkly stud in one ear tries to be punk and tough.

Foundations back state application
PROVIDENCE — Three major philanthropic organizations have volunteered to provide the state Department of Education with a total of $245,000 to ensure that Rhode Island has a better chance to receive federal Race to the Top education monies.

Regionalization picks up steam
The North Smithfield School Committee sends letters to the boards in Smithfield, Burrillville and Lincoln to see if they would be willing to meet.

Charter school, 6 districts receive $44 million in bonds
PROVIDENCE — Six school districts and one charter school have received help from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with $44.4 million in interest-free bonds for school renovations and construction.

At this school event, everything’s debatable
During past debates, pundits have argued about everything from health care to junk food to military aggression.

10/24/2009

School superintendents told to abolish teacher seniority
The state Education Commissioner says she has the authority to end classroom assignments based on seniority.

E. Providence beads with pride
EAST PROVIDENCE — Michael Jackson’s famous “Beat It” song was playing appropriately in the background when the announcement came Friday night that the city had smashed the Guinness world record for the longest strand of beads.

Settlement house renames early learning center after McDowell
Jo-Ann Caffey McDowell, now 65, has been a leader in providing early childhood education.

School superintendents told to abolish teacher seniority
PROVIDENCE — Dropping a bombshell on the teachers’ unions, state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist ordered school superintendents to abolish the practice of assigning teachers based on how many years they have in the school system.

10/25/2009

AT THE COLLEGES
www.neit.edu or call 1 (800) 736-7744 or (401) 739-5000.

10/23/2009

Theodore Sizer, education critic, Brown professor
Sizer, who died Wednesday, advocated that educational policy should be determined from the bottom up.

Students state case for input on R.I. teacher evaluations
At a public hearing, students tell the regents that students are the consumers who best know the good teachers from the bad.

10/21/2009

The joy of writing on the wing
Students explore the Rhode Island College campus for inspiration in a writing marathon on the first National Day of Writing.

10/20/2009

R.I.’s first public preschool program teaches cooperation, perseverance
The state begins to invest in early childhood education through seven classrooms in four cities.

Rhode Island Department of Education sets kindergarten entry guidelines
The Rhode Island Department of Education has spelled out what young children need to know and be able to do to enter kindergarten — not only prerequisite skills to learn reading and math, but thinking skills such as curiosity, persistence and an ability to solve problems.

2 R.I. agencies get federal money for children’s reading readiness

R.I. teachers’ union wins $200,000 grant to improve evaluations
The union is proposing that new teachers undergo routine observations and be mentored throughout their first year in the classroom.

10/18/2009

URI reaches $100 million goal ahead of schedule
Nearly 34,000 alumni and friends donated to the university’s Making a Difference capital campaign.

At one charter school, the lesson plan gets a makeover
On a sweltering summer day, I slipped into the cool of the Rhode Island Foundation’s conference room, where the entire staff of the Learning Community Charter School was planning the coming year. Every August, the whole school spends two weeks refurbishing their curricula for writing, reading and math. If teachers are bored with teaching a certain book, this is the time to pick a new one. If a strategy didn’t work last year, now’s the time to rethink it. A curriculum needs to be fresh and interesting to the teachers, responsive to what the kids need and enjoy, and true to the state standards.

10/17/2009

Building a R.I. school community, one lunch at a time
Providence Career and Technical Academy principal Ramon Torres takes some of his students out to lunch, both as a reward and as a way to build rapport.

10/18/2009

At the colleges
Johnson & Wales University will hold an open house for all colleges on Saturday, Nov. 7, beginning at 11 a.m. It lasts about three hours. For more information, call (401) JWU-1000 or 1-800-DIAL-JWU.

10/15/2009

Some improvement, but R.I.still lags on math scores
Officials say tougher standards seem to be paying off, but gaps still exist within low-income and ethnic groups.

Smithfield High School’s Confucius classroom teaches Chinese language and culture
Smithfield High School’s Confucius classroom aims to promote understanding by teaching about Chinese language and culture.

Mediator joins Brown food service talks
PROVIDENCE — A federal mediator joined Brown University and its food service employees as they continued to negotiate a new contract Wednesday, said Mark Nickel, Brown’s director of university communications.

10/14/2009

R.I. teachers express concern over proposed evaluations
Only 35 teachers, most of them from Coventry, attend a state Board of Regents hearing.

10/13/2009

In Providence, worlds apart on Columbus’ role
While Federal Hill fondly celebrates the Genoese trailblazer, Brown University considers the impact of his travels on Native Americans.

Kids Count calls for more investment in early childhood education
Rhode Island Kids Count says high-quality early childhood schooling greatly improves children’s chances of succeeding later educationally.

10/12/2009

R.I. schools seek a full view of Columbus’ 1492
Starting in grade school, students learn that Christopher Columbus was not entirely a hero — particularly from an indigenous perspective.

10/11/2009

Julia Steiny: Even students agree on improving teacher evaluations
When two names were called for the public comment portion of the Board of Regents’ August meeting, 27 students stood up. Wearing the signature purple polo shirts of the Providence youth organization, Young Voices, the diverse high school students stood in support of their two spokespersons.

R.I. education chief seeks higher standards for prospective teachers
Aspiring teachers will be required to score higher on a basic skills test, based on a proposal by the Rhode Island education commissioner.

R.I. education official to give nation’s adult learners stronger voice
Rhode Island’s Brenda Dann-Messier becomes an assistant secretary of education under President Obama.

10/10/2009

In Scituate, a lesson from a senseless act
Young vandals are suspected of destroying a Pilgrim and Native American village at Clayville Elementary School in Scituate, but the community is coming together to rebuild it in time for the Harvest Festival.

10/11/2009

At the colleges
Johnson & Wales University will hold an open house for its School of Education, Graduate School and Continuing Education programs Nov. 4 beginning at 5 p.m. For more information on the school of education, call (401) 598-1993. For the graduate school, call (401) 598-1015. For the continuing education program, call (401) 598-2300.

10/09/2009

Providence conference of students and educators explores problem of school dropout rate
PROVIDENCE — Deborah A. Gist, the state’s new commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said Thursday she had a disturbing conversation with a group of teachers recently. They told her that many of their students aren’t interested in attending college.

North Kingstown schools estimate surplus of $1 million
The chairman of the North Kingstown School Committee says “We knew we needed to do things a little differently.”

Group claims Brown University has hired ‘biased’ Nigerian author
PROVIDENCE — The Foundation for Intellectual Diversity has assailed Brown University’s hiring of a Nigerian author who the group says is known for denouncing British author Joseph Conrad as a “bloody racist” and says Brown should “rethink” its plans to expand its Africana studies program.

10/08/2009

Bridging the divide: At The Grace School everyone is special
Special-needs pupils share classrooms with regular pupils at The Grace School and the students gain from the experience, say parents.