Rhode Island Ranks 2nd in the Nation for Teacher Policies Rhode Island ranks in 2nd in the country (tied with Oklahoma and Tennessee) in the quality of its policies on the teaching profession, according to a report that the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recently released. The report awards Rhode Island an overall grade of B-, behind only Florida, which earned a B. The report ranks Rhode Island 5th among all states in progress made since the report was last released in 2009. The report highlights progress Rhode Island has made regarding policies on teacher evaluations, on admission to teacher-preparation programs and on connecting certification to effectiveness.
Rhode Island improves ranking in Quality Counts report on education Rhode Island ranks 20th among all states and the District of Columbia in the 2012 Quality Counts report on key education indicators, policy efforts, and outcomes. The ranking is a dramatic improvement from previous years. Rhode was ranked 31st among the states in Quality Counts 2011. The improved rankings are largely the result of new initiatives to improve educator quality and of significant improvements last year on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or “The Nation’s Report Card.”
National Report Says Only One-Third of Fourth-Graders are Proficient Readers Only one-third of fourth-grade students are proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). An examination of different sub-groups indicates that there are large gaps in achievement by income, race, language and disability. This new analysis from Voices for America's Children demonstrates that we have to raise overall student achievement and intentionally close achievement gaps. Rhode Island is one of several states with low proficiency among students with disabilities.
R.I. Students At, Above National Average on All Math and Reading Tests For the first time in the history of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), sometimes called the "The Nation's Report Card," Rhode Island scored at or above the national average of all four mathematics and reading tests. Results released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show that Rhode Island students in grade 4 scored above the national average in both mathematics and reading. Rhode Island students in grade 8 scored at the national average in mathematics and above the national average in reading. Click to read the Rhode Island Department of Secondary and Elementary Education's (RIDE) news release.
Education has more impact on work-life earnings than other demographic factors According to a new U.S. Census Bureau study, educational levels had more effect on earnings over a 40-year span in the workforce than any other demographic factor, such as gender, race, and Hispanic origin. These findings come from the report Education and Synthetic Work-Life Earnings, which looks at the economic value of educational attainment by estimating the amount of money that people might earn over the course of a 40-year work-life given their level of education.
Report published on Rhode Island funding formula The Center for American Progress has published a report by Dr. Kenneth K. Wong, of Brown University, entitled The Design of the Rhode Island School Funding Formula. The Center for American Progress website notes that that “the Rhode Island school funding reform experience shows that sound policy, backed up by independent, empirical analysis, can reverse years of political cynicism.” Dr. Wong was a great partner to the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and secondary Education (RIDE) and provided technical assistance during the design of the formula.
New toolkit for preventing chronic absences Attendance Works recently launched a new interactive toolkit that includes background, research and strategies for communities to study and tackle chronic absence in their schools as a way to increase students' time on task and, ultimately, achievement. The toolkit features five strategies for leading communities and school systems in improving attendance and profiles of cities and selected local programs that illustrate how chronic absences can be reduced effectively.
New High School Regulations Passed in Rhode Island The Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education passed newly revised high school graduation regulations. For more information, view The Providence Journal article, R.I. Board of Regents approves tougher graduation requirements.
Employers Increasingly Expect Some Education After High School The New York Times reports that the number of jobs requiring at least a two-year associate’s degree will outpace the number of people qualified to fill those positions by at least three million in 2018, according to a report being released Tuesday by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report makes clear that some education after high school is an increasing prerequisite for entry into the middle class.
Colleges Enroll Record Number The Boston Globe reports that the nation’s colleges are attracting record numbers of new students as more Hispanics finish high school and young adults opt to pursue higher education rather than languish in a weak job market. A study released yesterday by the Pew Research Center highlights the growing diversity in higher education amid debate over the role of race in college admissions and controversy over Arizona’s new ban on ethnic studies in public schools.
Release of the Condition of Education 2010 The National Center for Education Statistics released the Condition of Education 2010 report that reviews trends and developments in education, providing state-by-state and regional comparisons. The 2010 report indicates an increase in high-poverty schools throughout the United States. Rhode Island, in particular, has one of the Northeast regions' highest percentages of elementary and secondary school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Diplomas Count 2010: Graduation by the Numbers - Putting Data to Work for Student Success With 1.3 million high school students failing to earn a diploma, data-driven strategies have become an essential tool for combating the nation's dropout crisis. The fifth edition of the Diplomas Count report explores how the innovative use of data is driving change in school systems across the country. By profiling efforts under way in four leading school districts, Education Week's journalists delve into early-warning systems that reduce dropout rates by identifying students at risk of failure; consider ways that insights from deep data analysis can result in tailored interventions; and examine how an infusion of federal stimulus dollars can strengthen national and local cultures of innovation built on data.
No Vacation for Bad Behavior A new report from Connecticut Voices for Children shows that the number of student suspensions has declined statewide, from 7.1 percent in 2006-07 to 5.4 percent in 2008-09, even before a new state law takes effect this summer that aims to reduce out-of-school suspensions. Experts believe the new law, one of the first of its kind in the country, has made schools more aware of the disadvantages for students who miss school, and has prompted administrators to find other ways to discipline students and prevent bad behavior. Education experts say that students often view out-of-school suspensions as a "vacation," and lost school time disrupts schoolwork, contributing to the achievement gap, drop-out rates, and delinquency. Legislators passed the law after hearing that Connecticut schoolchildren lost more than 250,000 school days due to suspensions in the 2006–07 school year.
Students Who Repeat a Grade Are Less Likely to Graduate from High School In 2007, 11 percent of school aged children repeated one or more grades since kindergarten. Data from the National Survey of Children’s Health also shows that the likelihood of repeating a grade increases as a child gets older with 13 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds repeating a grade compared to 9 percent of 6 to 11-year-olds. Students who repeat a grade are more likely to leave school without a high school diploma. This puts them on track for future economic distress. See the Education section in Data Across States to access national and state-level data. New data for the nation as a whole and individual states include: Children ages 1 to 5 whose family members read to them fewer than 3 days per week Children ages 6 to 17 who repeated one or more grades since starting kingergarten
Release of Voices in Urban Education: "CollectivePractice, Quality Teaching" The Annenberg Institute for School Reform has published the twenty-seventh issue of Voices in Urban Education. The articles in this issue argue that the current individual measure of teaching quality is too narrow. In order to effectively measure teaching quality, it is essential to examine the collective aspects of teaching quality and the organizational support from schools and districts required to ensure a high quality of teaching.
New Report on Poverty and Segregation in Urban Schools A new report published by www.diversitydata.org, "Segregation and Exposure to High-Poverty Schools in Large Metropolitan Areas," ranks public, primary schools in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan according to racial/ethnic segregation and exposure to concentrated poverty schools.The report is based on data drawn the diversitydata.org website, which includes similar data for 362 metro areas.Designed for use by the public, the media, and researchers, diversitydata.org goes beyond many similar demographic websites by including information on school characteristics such as racial/ethnic composition, segregation, and exposure to high-poverty schools, as well as information on health, education, neighborhood conditions, and housing opportunities. Additionally, the website has interactive features allowing any user to easily create profiles for specific metropolitan areas, as well as customized rankings according to chosen indicators.
Analysis of Reading and Mathematics Test Results for 11th Grade Students Rhode Island Kids Count has prepared an analysis of the NECAP Test Results for 11th Grade Students, showing the percentage of students who are substantially below proficient in reading and math in Rhode Island. Data are shown for the state as a whole, for sub-groups of students and for individual school districts.
Release of Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Issue Brief Read Rhode Island KIDS COUNT's latest Issue Brief entitled Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. The Issue Brief covers the development of early literacy skills from birth through grade three, data on early literacy achievement in Rhode Island and recommendations for improving reading proficiency rates in the early grades. Read the article, Most RI Fourth Graders Not Proficient in Reading, or view the press release.
New Brief on Homeless Children and Youth in U.S. Schools A Critical Moment: Child & Youth Homelessness in Our Nation's Schools, a new brief from First Focus and the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, summarizes recent federal data as well as findings from a national survey of school districts and state departments of education. Analysis in the brief of recently released federal data shows that the number of homeless children and youth identified in public schools has increased for the second year in a row, and by 41% over the past two school years. The economic downturn was cited most frequently as the reason for increases in child and youth homelessness, followed by greater school and community awareness of homelessness, and the foreclosure crisis.
Rhode Island Adopts Education Funding Formula The Rhode Island General Assembly has enacted an education funding formula for allocation of state aid to school districts based on student need and student enrollment. For more information about the formula, read Education Commissioner Deborah Gist's Op-Ed in The Providence Journal.
Public Supports DREAM ACT A new poll of Americans comissioned by First Focus shows strong support for the DREAM Act, federal legislation that would provide undocumented students brought to the United States as children with the opportunity to earn permanent legal status upon meeting certain requirements.
National Report Says Only One-Third of Fourth-Graders are Proficient Readers
Report published on Rhode Island funding formula
Employers Increasingly Expect Some Education After High School 
Colleges Enroll Record Number
Release of the Condition of Education 2010
Diplomas Count 2010: Graduation by the Numbers - Putting Data to Work for Student Success 
No Vacation for Bad Behavior
Students Who Repeat a Grade Are Less Likely to Graduate from High School
New Report on Poverty and Segregation in Urban Schools
Analysis of Reading and Mathematics Test Results for 11th Grade Students
Release of Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Issue Brief
Public Supports DREAM ACT
An education funding formula, hailed as a breakthrough, faces its critics
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has prepared the following document which examines the provisions contained within the Governor's FY2011 Budget Request. Click to Access 
