PROVIDENCE – State elected and education officials announced Friday that $5 million in state funding will be distributed to 24 local education agencies – both school districts and charter schools – for hiring instructional coaches in math and English language arts.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee and R.I. Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said Friday that the funding comes from the state’s 2025 fiscal year budget. Of the total amount distributed, $4 million will allow for the hiring of 26 full-time and nine part-time coaches across all of the agencies. Instructional coaching, state officials say, will help educators refine their learning strategies to better meet students’ needs academically and eventually improve their achievement.
State officials also said the remaining $1 million will finance additional supports around implementing high-quality curriculum materials. The R.I. Department of Education will solicit vendors to both provide coaches professional learning and supports, and through a request for proposals facilitate developing and implementing protocols and professional learning for schools and districts around high-quality curriculum materials and differently-abled students, state officials say.
“While Rhode Island has made great progress in the adoption of curriculum materials that ensure grade-level access to all students, the more challenging work of implementation must continue,” Infante-Green said in a statement. “Coaches play an important role, working with educators to deeply understand the design of new materials and the implementation steps necessary for all learners in our classrooms.”
The LEAs that received the funding are:
- Blackstone Academy Charter School
- Bristol-Warren Regional School District
- Burrillville Public Schools
- Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy
- Central Falls School District
- The Compass School
- Cranston Public Schools
- Cumberland School Department
- East Providence School Department
- Excel Academy
- Johnston Public Schools
- Middletown Public Schools
- Newport Public Schools
- North Kingstown School Department
- Paul Cuffee School
- Pawtucket School Department
- Providence Public School District
- RISE Prep Mayoral Academy
- Scituate School Department
- Segue Institute for Learning
- Smithfield Public Schools
- Warwick Public Schools
- West Warwick Public Schools
- Westerly Public Schools
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
