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RHODE ISLAND URBAN EDUCATION TASK FORCE

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Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri asked Warren Simmons, executive director of the Annenberg Institute, to lead a task force that will develop recommendations for reforms to Rhode Island's urban school systems. The Rhode Island Urban Education Task Force (UETF) was convened in January 2008 for a term of eighteen months.


Goal
Rhode Island is a small and densely populated state whose future depends on the health of its core cities. And no factor is more important to the health of these cities than education. By 2020, one in five members of the state's workforce will have come from the state's five core urban school systems: Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket. Outcomes for students in those cities are improving, but they remain unacceptably low.

Governor Carcieri charged the UETF with developing a statewide response to these challenges. The five urban communities share many of the same issues, and collaboration, with support from state leaders, is more efficient than each community tackling the problems alone. A statewide approach will also help to draw on a rich and diverse set of community and governmental assets to support the growth and development of the state's youth.

In January 2009, the UETF will present recommendations, focused on the five core districts, for consideration by the Governor and the General Assembly.


What We Do
With Warren Simmons as chair, the UETF includes leaders in education, government, and community organizations. UETF members will:

• examine data on the conditions and outcomes for students attending public schools in urban communities, as well as information on teaching and learning resources available inside and outside of schools;
  
  
• engage the community in understanding the urban challenge and developing solutions;
  
  
• visit sites locally and nationally that provide examples of best practice; and
  
  
• develop recommendations for consideration by the Governor and the General Assembly in the following areas:
  
  
  • effective state support and intervention strategies: “what works” and how data can be used to improve policy and practice;
    
    
  • opportunities for collaboration among Rhode Island's urban schools and districts, as well as between state agencies and organizations; and
    
    
  • new relationships and partnerships with community-based organizations, cultural institutions, businesses, and the faith community.

Timeframe
January 2008 to June 2009

• Research and analysis: January to September 2008
• Public engagement and comment: June to December 2008
• Investigating solutions: September 2008 to January 2009
• Recommendations: January to June 2009

Partners & Funders
The UETF is made up of twenty-six local leaders representing the five urban core communities, the state government and legislature, higher education, and other key stakeholders. The UETF will be supported by a consortium of research organizations, led by Brown University and involving local organizations, as well as by a National Advisory Panel that includes Milbrey McLaughlin of Stanford University; Pedro Noguera of New York University; Jesse Register, former superintendent of Hamilton County (TN) Public Schools; and Paul Reville of the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. The work of the UETF will be supported by a combination of local and national grants.


Contact Person
Ellen Foley
Associate Director, District Redesign and Leadership
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Ellen_Foley@brown.edu

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