Preparing the City of Providence to Manage Providence Public Schools

Take the Survey Host a Community Conversation Mayor’s Community Conversation on Education

Welcome! We want to hear from you as the City of Providence prepares for when the Providence Public School District will come back under the City’s management.

Join us for a Community Conversation on Education

Join Mayor Smiley for a Community Conversation on Education, on December 14, 2024, from 10AM to 12PM at the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex. We’ll discuss the state of our schools five years after the state takeover, hear from community members about progress and challenges, and guide the City’s understanding as we prepare to regain control of the district.

Can’t attend? Share your thoughts through our Return to Local Control Survey below.

To register for the Community Conversation, CLICK HERE 

Share Your Ideas

The City of Providence is preparing for when the school district will return under the City’s management. We have developed the City of Providence’s Providence Public Schools (PPSD) Return to Local Control Survey to hear from our community about PPSD. Your insights are essential as we navigate the future of our school district and we appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey. Your thoughts and perspectives are important to Mayor Smiley, the Providence City Council and all stakeholders who care deeply about the future of our PPSD.

Take the survey today!

Turnaround Action Plan

Because Providence Public Schools were underperforming, the State of Rhode Island assumed control of the management of Providence Public Schools (PPSD) in 2019. With robust community participation, the State developed a Turnaround Action Plan (TAP) to improve school performance and management. The TAP identified 12 key metrics to guide the first five years of this work.

See the Turnaround Action Plan here and find the progress reports on TAP progress here.

The City of Providence chose eight of the TAP metrics that the City can help improve even before the school district returns to local control.

Get Involved with the Turnaround

We have programs, partnerships, and resources for every member of the Providence community to help improve our performance on these metrics. We hope that you will find one, two, or maybe even a few programs for you and your family members to join. Many of these programs are offered through the City of Providence’s Recreation Department and the Department of Housing and Human Services.

Click on the links below to find ways you can get involved.

We look forward to seeing and engaging with you at these programs and are grateful for your participation and involvement in our collective work toward delivering excellent education at PPSD and in each of our communities.

Key Terms

ACCESS Assessment

The ACCESS assessment is a tool to measure multilingual learners’ proficiency in the English language for grades K-12. Schools use the assessment data to inform classroom instruction and to aid in programmatic decision-making. The test measures students’ proficiency in English associated with the arts, mathematics, science, and social studies across the four language domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

The Crowley Act

The Crowley Act is a Rhode Island law that informs state intervention in school districts, as well as funding for school districts under state intervention. Providence Public Schools (PPSD) is only the second school district to be placed under state intervention since the Crowley Act passed in 1997.

English Language Arts (ELA)

English Language Arts focuses on the development of literacy skills in ready, writing, speaking, and listening.

Multilingual Learners

The Rhode Island Department of Education defines Multi-Lingual Learners (MLL) as: All children and youth who are, or have been, consistently exposed to multiple languages. It includes students known as English language learners (ELLs) or dual language learners (DLLs); heritage language learners; and students who speak varieties of English or indigenous languages. (WIDA Guiding Principles 2019)

PPSD

Providence Public Schools (PPSD) is the public school district in Providence, RI and serves children and families who reside in the city, offering free public education from early education through high school. Presently, more than 19,000 students attend PPSD’s 37 schools, including 19 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and 10 high schools. A majority of students at PPSD identify as Latinx, 40% of students are multilingual learners, and 18% receive special education services.

RICAS Assessment

The Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) is an annual, statewide assessment administered to students in grades three to eight each year. The RICAS assesses students’ performance in two subjects, English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. This assessment is administered from March to May of each academic year and results help improve teaching and learning and offer insight on student progress and school performance.

RIDE

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is Rhode Island’s state education agency and manages elementary and secondary education from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across the state. RIDE has managed the operations and finances of PPSD since the state intervention in 2019.

Turnaround Action Plan

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) developed a Turnaround Action Plan (TAP) to improve school performance and management at PPSD. The TAP identified 12 key metrics to guide the first five years of the state intervention and RIDE publishes both quarterly and annual reports on PPSD’s progress on these metrics. You may read and learn more about the TAP here.

School Star Rating

Each public school in Rhode Island receives a Star Rating. This Star Rating summarizes the school’s overall performance, and assesses test scores; attendance; graduation rates; and chronic absenteeism for students and teachers.