Rhode Island’s longtime efforts to boost the quality of K-12 public education have hit turbulence with teachers unions pushing to replace state Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist as her June 7 contract renewal date approaches. more

Rhode Island is building a name for itself in the business of environmental training for journalists, thanks in part to the 15-year-old Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, says spokeswoman Karen Southern. more

University of Rhode Island scientists were contributing authors and editors of a new book on the restoration of salt marshes, which includes case studies based on URI research, the school announced Wednesday. more

BOSTON – The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection announced last week that it has penalized Commonwealth Tank of Wakefield $10,887 for asbestos violations that occurred during a boiler-plant demolition project conducted by the company at 285 Old Westport Road at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. more

In Sylvia Maxfield, Providence College has a dynamic leader of its College of Business. She has the academic qualifications one would expect, including a doctorate in political economy from Harvard University. She has a varied and interesting work experience, having held academic posts at Yale University and Simmons College, as well as having worked as a sovereign credit analyst for Lehman Brothers. more

The University of Rhode Island has received roughly $2.5 million from the estates and bequests of URI alumni brothers John and David Parker, the University of Rhode Island Foundation announced Tuesday. more

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s department of chemistry and biochemistry received a $339,000 award from the National Science Foundation, the school announced Thursday. more

TAUNTON, Mass. – The South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corporation recently made a micro loan to Newport Potters Guild to enable the small business to start a pottery and clay art gallery and create four new jobs. more

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Education has launched its Academy for Transformative Leadership, an initiative meant to recruit, prepare and support leaders who can help transform the state’s lowest-performing schools. more

Rhode Island earned a ‘C+’ with a score of 2.33 out of 4 on educational reform advocacy group StudentsFirst’s 2013 State Policy Report Card. more