As discussion continues on budget cuts, another piece of Rhode Island's economic future is the quality of the Providence schools. With more than 25,000 students, the district accounts for about one-sixth of the state's students, and if they're not well-prepared for the job market, it will have a very adverse effect. I take a look at this issue in this week's Phoenix:
Befitting the messiah-like way in which new superintendents are expected to single-handedly solve the complex and deep-rooted problems of urban education, Tom Brady, the former military man stepping in to replace Evans in September, happens to share a name with the superstar quarterback of the New England Patriots.
Yet delivering serious improvement in the Providence schools will obviously not be a quick fix. ...
A big part of the difficulty is bringing the hallmarks of successful education programs — such as small class sizes and close attention — on a district-wide basis to a system with about one-sixth of the students in Rhode Island, and where the entrenched interests and intractable problems lead one parent to dub serious education reform the third rail of local politics.