As Rhode Island’s public schools emerge from the pandemic they face “numerous challenges,” from declining enrollment and rising absenteeism to mental health issues and a “tight educator labor market,” according to a report released today: “The State of Recovery: Rhode Island’s Post-Pandemic Public School Landscape.”
The report by Brown University’s Annenberg Institute provides a broad look at the state’s public schools, and while dire in many cases, also says “despite these headwinds, the state has tremendous opportunity,” with the availability of millions of dollars in ESSER relief funds, and “hard work” in most districts to introduce and adopt “high-quality instructional materials designed to support high expectations for all students.”
Here is what the report says are its key findings:
- “Traditional public-school enrollments have declined substantially over the past decade, largely reflecting drops in Rhode Island’s school-age population.” Only six districts reported increasing enrollment since 2012. Newport County area schools reported decreases in enrollment: Portsmouth, 18 percent; Middletown, 19 percent; Newport, 9 percent; Jamestown, 15 percent; Tiverton, 14 percent; Little Compton, 28 percent.
- “Rhode Island’s public schools are more diverse than ever, and the number of multi-lingual learners has nearly doubled.”
- “Chronic absenteeism has risen to all-time highs, following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
- “Rhode Island schools substantially trail their Massachusetts peers in both mathematics and ELA performance, even when we compare schools that serve similar student populations.”
- “College enrollment declined during the pandemic, particularly in community colleges, reversing an increase in college-going that followed the RI Promise.”
You can read the entire report here:
