JOSEPH B. GOHO, who has spent close to three decades in the North Providence School Department, was recently named the 2025 Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year by the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in school district leadership, commitment to the community and service to the group. Goho will be formally recognized by the American Association of School Administrators at its National Conference on Education in New Orleans in March.
What does this award mean to you? This award is not just a personal honor; it is a deserved honor for the community of North Providence, where I have had the privilege of serving as an administrator for the past 27 years. Every community has their own idiosyncrasies which make it a challenge, and North Providence is no different. This yearly award is not really an individual award as much as it is a recognition of a team. And having any success as a superintendent requires the coordination of position groups to form one successful team.
The town has constructed two new schools, and more school projects are on the horizon. What will these new schools mean for students and families, and the community at large? The projects in North Providence will lead to all brand-new elementary schools, a new central office building, a remodeled high school auditorium, updated library media centers at the high school and middle schools, and renovated gymnasiums and playing fields. This investment in our facilities will benefit our students and community for generations to come. The research is quite clear about the link between student achievement and learning in modern, clean and safe environments.
Describe the career and technical education pathways, including the feeder systems, in the school district and how they have resulted in career opportunities for students. Among the CTE pathways established during my tenure as North Providence superintendent, include U.S. Air Force JROTC [Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps], business financial management, computer science, law and public safety, pre-engineering, and the middle school feeder system pathways. The middle school pathways offer courses in computer science for innovators and makers, automation and robotics, design and modeling, an underwater robotics competition designed to engage students in hands-on STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education and medical electives.
Even with the advancements over the last decade, what do you feel the district is lacking to help students achieve success and what will it take to obtain that need?We still have work to do to improve student achievement and ensure that our students fully recover from the academic and social emotional learning loss caused by the pandemic, and that each student continues to show growth and achievement toward our ultimate goal of preparing students to graduate from our school system career and college ready.