Gov. Dan McKee and Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced Tuesday that Newport will receive $65,000 in state grants aimed at improving math skills and student attendance through out-of-school learning programs.
The funding is part of the fourth round of Learn365RI Municipal Learning Project grants, which awarded $1.39 million to 38 communities statewide. Other Aquidneck Island communities receiving grants include Middletown ($20,000), Portsmouth ($40,000) and Little Compton ($10,000). Jamestown received $10,000 and Tiverton received $20,000.
The grants align with the state’s Math Matters RI and Attendance Matters campaigns as Rhode Island experiences rising math scores and improved student attendance. Half of the funded programs must focus on critical skill development in mathematics, while the other half can address English language arts, RICAS preparation and attendance.
“We are doubling down on what’s improving outcomes for Rhode Island students, and that means continued investment in learning acceleration as part of my administration’s Learn365RI initiative,” McKee said. “This latest round of math and attendance-aligned funding will sustain our momentum and support our goal of closing the achievement gap with Massachusetts.”
The investment follows Rhode Island’s rebound beyond pre-pandemic achievement levels in RICAS math and steady gains in SAT math performance. The state has been recognized as the leader in New England for post-pandemic academic recovery, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth. Rhode Island has also decreased chronic absenteeism by 12 percentage points since its highest point.
A recent report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University shows that students who participated in RIDE’s Algebra 1 Summer Readiness Camps, including those at Newport schools, had test scores 4.5 percentage points higher than students who did not participate. The camps were held in Burrillville, Newport, Smithfield, Woonsocket and Paul Cuffee School.
“Rhode Island students continue to make steady gains because we not only believe in their potential – we invest in it,” Infante-Green said.
Learn365RI, launched in April 2023, is designed to shift learning from the traditional 180 school days to year-round learning by supporting partnerships between municipalities, local education agencies and community-based organizations.
