Rhode Island

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Rhode Island
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley speaks during a session at the New England Mayors Convening on Universal Pre-K in Providence, R.I., on Nov. 19, 2025.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley speaks during a session at the New England Mayors Convening on Universal Pre-K in Providence, R.I., on Nov. 19, 2025.
David Santilli/City of Providence
Early Childhood Q&A How One Mayor Is Working to Expand Pre-K Access
Mayor Brett Smiley discusses early education access and workforce development.
Jennifer Vilcarino, November 21, 2025
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5 min read
A teacher helps two engineering students build a butterfly house.
The Trump administration has sued the Rhode Island Department of Education and the public school district in Providence, saying a program that provides loan forgiveness to teachers of color discriminates against white teachers.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Equity & Diversity Loan Forgiveness for Teachers of Color Is Discriminatory, Trump Admin. Says
The U.S. Department of Justice says the program meant to boost the ranks of minority teachers discriminates against white educators.
Alyson Klein, September 16, 2025
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3 min read
Collage illustration of students learning to read, literacy
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Reading & Literacy Opinion Don’t Blame ‘Science of Reading’ for Low Scores
We need better teacher training, the right materials, and engaging literacy-rich programs for schools, writes Angélica Infante-Green.
Angélica Infante-Green, February 10, 2025
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5 min read
Pencil drawing a checkmark in a box. U.S.A. ballot measures voting in elections.
DigitalVision Vectors
States 5 Ways You Didn't Know the Election Will Affect K-12 Schools
Voters will weigh ballot items that affect funding for electric school buses, tax revenue for state education budgets, and more.
Mark Lieberman, October 31, 2024
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8 min read
cellphone distraction policy bans in schools static
Laura Baker/Education Week via canva
Ed-Tech Policy Tracker Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?
See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools.
Arianna Prothero, Lauraine Langreo & Alyson Klein, June 28, 2024
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1 min read
Vector illustration of a woman sitting indian style with her arms spread wide and a rainbow above her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement In Their Own Words These Students Found Mental Health Support in After-School Programs. See How
3 students discuss how after-school programs benefit their well-being.
Lauraine Langreo, May 17, 2024
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6 min read
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year.
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. A White House summit on May 15, 2024, brought attention to elevated chronic absenteeism and strategies districts have used to fight it.
Brittainy Newman/AP
School & District Management Schools Successfully Fighting Chronic Absenteeism Have This in Common
A White House summit homed in on chronic absenteeism and strategies to reduce it.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 15, 2024
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6 min read
Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, speaks during a presentation of the proposed state spending plan during an announcement in Indianapolis on Jan. 4, 2023.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner speaks about a proposed state spending plan on Jan. 4, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana tracks students' 3rd grade reading progress and the tools and supports districts are deploying.
Michael Conroy/AP
Reading & Literacy Applying the 'Science of Reading': 3 State Leaders on Putting Policy Into Practice
Officials discussed how their states have attempted a multifaceted approach to reading improvement.
Sarah Schwartz, February 22, 2024
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4 min read
Principal Jonathan A.C. Apostol stands for a portrait at Monett Middle School in Monett, Mo., on Sept. 29, 2023.
Principal Jonathan A.C. Apostol stands for a portrait at Monett Middle School in Monett, Mo., on Sept. 29, 2023. The school started investing in student mental health services before the COVID-19 pandemic, and its new building includes a designated area for mental health counselors that doubles as a calming space for students.
Michael Noble Jr. for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Rural Districts Get Creative Amid a Spike in Students’ Mental Health Needs
Rural districts don't have the same resources as more urban districts to scale up mental health services despite similar levels of need.
Libby Stanford, October 16, 2023
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8 min read
Students in the auto technology class work on a vehicle at the Regional Occupational Center.
Students work on a vehicle in an auto technology class at the Regional Occupational Center in Bakersfield, Calif.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How Career Prep Programs Went From 'Dumping Ground' to Top Priority
More Americans think kids should come out of school prepared for careers, and career prep has emerged as a rare area of bipartisan accord.
Libby Stanford, April 10, 2023
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8 min read
A multiple exposure of a wooden gavel and a long row of columns from a courthouse.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Social Studies Students Deepen Access to Civics Education In Hard-Fought Legal Battle
The case didn't establish a federal right to education, but will spark changes in Rhode Island and could spur challenges in other states.
Catherine Gewertz, June 15, 2022
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5 min read
Kara Klever holds a sign in protest in the hall outside of the Blue Room as Governor Kevin Stitt signs a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams at the Capitol Wednesday, March 30, 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oka. The bill, which easily passed the Republican-led House and Senate mostly along party lines, took effect immediately with the governor's signature. It applies to female sports teams in both high school and college.
Kara Klever holds a sign in protest as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams.
Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman via AP
States Beyond 'Don't Say Gay': Other States Seek to Limit LGBTQ Youth, Teaching
Legislators want to ban lessons on LGBTQ communities and require teachers to tell parents when students want their pronouns changed.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 6, 2022
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9 min read
Students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York.
Students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) School in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, late last year in New York.
Brittainy Newman/AP
States States Are Dropping School Mask Requirements. Here's the Latest and What's Ahead
By the end of this week, only five states and the District of Columbia will still mandate universal masking in schools.
Stacey Decker & Holly Peele, February 28, 2022
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2 min read
Image of a mask being held by two hands.
sestovic/E+
States What's Up With Mask Requirements in Schools? 6 Things to Know
There's been a flurry of recent activity around masks in schools. Here's what you need to know.
Stacey Decker & Holly Peele, February 14, 2022
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1 min read
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