Panelists ranging from Brown researchers to former public school students spoke Monday night at the RI Senate Education Conference, hosted by Community Colleges of Rhode Island and moderated by state Sens. Sandra Cano (D-Pawtucket) and Hannah Gallo. He spoke at the summit about state and school accountability. (D-Cranston, West Warwick).
Kelvin Roldan, Rhode Island Department of Education's Deputy Secretary of Systems Transformation, outlined RIDE's approach to measuring and improving student success through a “student-first” strategic plan and student advisory boards, and The advisory committee said it will help identify students who are difficult to measure. needs.
“Rhode Island schools as a whole are not up to the standards of Massachusetts schools,” said John Papai, associate professor of educational economics and director of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. The disparity persists even in wealthy areas, he added, pointing to problems with the state's education system that go beyond funding disparities.
Papai emphasized the need for urgency given the challenges of pandemic-era education, citing as an example Massachusetts' 1993 Education Reform Act, which introduced statewide standardized testing, established charter schools, (changes in funding aimed at reducing wealth inequality). The island should follow suit. He also pointed to the importance of post-secondary preparation and the need to combine accountability and financial support for schools.
Accountability “isn't just about assigning responsibility,” said Michael DiBiase, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a nonprofit research organization focused on public policy. . Emphasizing accountability allows community leaders to recognize success while improving the education system, he said.
DiBiase said the current accountability structure is “fragmented” between school committees and the State Board of Education, noting there are many decision-making bodies that lack cohesive action. He instead advocated a centralized education policy and proposed state cabinet positions to replace the current committee system.
“As a state, we are actually relatively generous with our funding,” DiBiase said. But he added that the state's high average masks large disparities between districts, and the state lacks significant investments in school improvement.
Ramona Santos Torres, executive director of Parents Leading for Educational Equity, emphasized personal commitment as the core of accountability. The problem, Santos-Torres says, is that “we're not creating together with our families.” “The worst thing for us is a space where we feel like our voices don’t matter.”
During the Q&A session, Mr. Santos-Torres emphasized that when aiming to involve parents, it is important not only to listen to them, but also to pay attention to them.
Desiree Delgado Pedraza, a 2022 graduate of Central Falls High School, spoke about her experience as a student during the pandemic. She talked about how she watched her friends disappear and leave the school system altogether. Delgado-Pedraza also spoke about homelessness and teenage pregnancy, as well as the lack of state resources to support her students.
Delgado Pedraza, a student at the University of Rhode Island, credits his ability to attend college to the help of his seventh-grade teacher, who guided him on the path to academic success. But she said her high school's underfunding left her academically short and she felt she wasn't ready for college.
Representatives from various activist organizations also attended the summit.
Jessica Vega, a member of the children's advocacy group Kids Count, mentioned a bill that would allow student representatives on the Rhode Island Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the statewide organization that determines curriculum, to vote on the board's decisions. The state Senate has scheduled a hearing on bill S2287 on Wednesday.
The Education Summit will be held again in the fall before the next Congress.
