Could a report be more damning?
Commissioned after the spring test score results for students in Providence schools and performed by a team led by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, the report confirmed what many have been saying for years. Providence public schools are terrible.
It is not just about test scores, although those are substandard. Comparisons to other school districts showed that in every case, when testing for English and math, the local students fell short of the others.
It’s not just about infrastructure, although that is a known issue. In the most recent election, voters approved $25 million for school repairs and replacement, with another $25 million on the next ballot.
No, the most egregious issues had to do with the learning environment, from students acting out in the most aggressive ways to teachers feeling unsupported, to administrators feeling unable to initiate change that might make a difference.
There has been talk of the state taking over the district. If that is the only way to make the schools better, so be it.