Article 31 provides a unique opportunity to turn student achievement around in Rhode Island. Doing this requires a variety of strategic partnerships focused on supporting students, teachers, schools and families. Just as individual firms alone cannot develop all of the ideas and approaches necessary to compete in the new economy,(2) RIDE and schools alone cannot muster all of the forces required to meet the needs of every child and improve the practices of every school. RIDE’s partnerships will: support the implementation of the School Accountability for Learning and Teaching (SALT) system; support the broader needs of children and their families; retool and support the education profession; and develop strong connections between education and business. 1. Support the implementation of the SALT system SALT is designed to help schools use quality information to improve dramatically student achievement. SALT requires educators, joined by parents, to:
The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University (The LAB at Brown) and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR), also at Brown University, continue to be significant partners in design and conceptualization. Staff contribute expertise in the areas of accountability, equity and public policy. They work alongside RIDE, creating a marriage of ideas and perspectives. This partnership created a firm conceptual and grass-roots grounding of SALT. In addition, the LAB and AISR have contributed staff resources to the direction and development of Information Works. The University of Rhode Island’s National Center on Public Education and Social Policy (URI/NCPE) has recently joined in a major partnership with RIDE. URI/NCPE, under the direction of Dr. Robert Felner, brings to the partnership nationally renowned expertise in the area of information-driven school improvement. URI/NCPE has generously committed its expertise and over 1.5 million dollars of its own resources toward the delivery of the school and district reports in Information Works and the development, administration and analysis of the SALT Survey. The survey provides detailed information on school practices that directly influence student achievement. Both efforts will provide invaluable information to schools and communities as they engage in the SALT self-study process. The SALT Pilot Schools have been essential partners with RIDE in the development of SALT by contributing the hard work of dozens of educators. These schools and educators are pioneering the school visit and the self-study process. They continue to give RIDE staff feedback on the design and implementation of SALT that improves the process immeasurably. The SALT Pilot Schools and their districts are: RIDE also partners with networks of schools as one of its central school improvement strategies. Rhode Island Middle Level Educators and Breaking Ranks provide forums for exchanging ideas and promoting quality middle level and secondary education, respectively. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the accrediting association for high schools in New England, has examined its own self-study and school visit procedures with a view to enhancing them and making them more consistent with SALT. NEASC’s willingness to partner with RIDE has meant that both organizations can profit from each other’s learnings. It has also worked to spare schools the burden of avoidable duplication of effort. GO TO: Support the broader needs of children and their families Return to the Statewide Analysis Home Page || Return to the Information Works Home Page |
