Statewide Analysis: Table of Contents

Introduction: Productive, caring and mutually intriguing teacher/student relationships - What’s it going to take?

• The primacy of the teacher/student relationship
• Some supports have been taking shape
• From legislator to classroom teacher, we have an increasingly shared vision
• Achieving shared vision brings us to the end of the beginning

I. Student achievement – Measuring how well the student/teacher relationship is fulfilling its task

• RI’s student achievement is average in the nation, lagging in New England
• Poverty depresses achievement scores
• 2000 Kids Count: Child well-being indicators for New England and the U.S. average
• Money makes a difference
• The Children’s Cabinet
• RI’s State Assessment Program
• Sensitive performance assessments
• Closing Sizable Gaps Between Students with Different Characteristics
• Maintaining high expectations for all children

II. Student achievement adjusted for “value-added” -
Measuring how well schools support the student/teacher relationship

• Leveling the Playing Field
• Statistical Modeling
• RI’s Value-Added Charts
• Which schools appear to add value?
• The Rhode Island Model
• Some Schools Are More Helpful than Others When Dealing with Similar Populations.

III. Supporting Teachers – The teacher’s job has changed

• Lessons from the SALT survey
• We believe in integrated curricula and standards-based instruction, but we don’t often do it.
• Early intervention would help with “problem” students
• We do not seem to trust the research-endorsed benefits of personalized education
• Student relations with each other show some modest improvement
• Teacher mobility
• Enabling the teachers to work together more

IV. Supporting students -- Kids face more challenges than ever

• Who are our students?
• Children’s social statistics strain the teacher/student relationship
• Better community support for children
• Homework
• Home Alone
• Reading outside classwork
• However, there is some good news about reading

V. Supporting teachers and students with adequate financial resources from the district, the town and the state

• Two separate issues of funding support: school reform and equity
• School reform: Funding ways to help schools climb out of their well-worn grooves
• Article 31 targeted investments
• Equity: Tax revenue and expenditure - two views.
• District level school expenditures – In$ite data
• A word of caution
• In$ite Chart #1
• Four of five expenditure categories
• Also included is a category called “other commitments.”
• Per pupil expenditure (PPE)
• The Virtual Rhode Island School District
• In$ite Chart #2
• Eliminating Other Commitments
• New Shoreham
• The Career and Technical programs and Centers
• Future In$ite reports

VI. Conclusion: A focus on the teacher/student relationship will help focus disparate efforts and initiatives

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