The Newport Public Education Foundation has awarded Newport Public Schools a $20,000 grant, funded by Airbnb, to train middle and high school math teachers in a teaching framework aimed at getting students working problems rather than watching them worked.
The initiative, called Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics and Financial Literacy, will support workshops, planning and coaching for 10 to 12 math educators and instructional coaches during the 2026-27 school year, focused on Algebra I and financial literacy in grades 6 through 12. The foundation estimates the participating teachers will reach 125 to 150 students during the grant period.
The gap the grant addresses is substantial. On the 2024 Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System, 13.6 percent of Newport students in grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded expectations in math, compared with 30.1 percent statewide.
“Newport has a significant opportunity to strengthen foundational math skills, algebraic thinking, and practical financial literacy for its students — and to address an achievement gap that can affect students’ future educational and economic opportunities,” said Patti Aull, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction.
The Building Thinking Classrooms framework emphasizes group problem-solving and structuring classes so that every student is expected to do mathematical thinking, an approach the foundation says can help multilingual learners and students receiving special education services.
“Building Thinking Classrooms gives our teachers powerful new tools to help students build confidence and real understanding in math,” said Kimberly Behan, the foundation’s president.
Britte McBride, public policy manager for Airbnb, said the company contributes to communities where it operates and called the initiative potentially transformational.
The program launches with a free public screening of the documentary “Counted Out” on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Rogers High School. The film examines how mathematical literacy shapes access to educational, economic and civic opportunity. Registration details are to be announced.
