February 2021
Submitted by Sarah Gleason
I attended the January 20, 2021 Providence School Board meeting, subsequently talked with School Board member Liz Goldberg, MD, and watched “Roundtable on Education in RI during Covid -19”, sponsored by the Brown Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ). What follows is a summary of my impressions from these three sources.
Superintendent Harrison Peters seems to be an upbeat, capable leader for the Providence Public Schools at this particularly difficult time. It is one year since the R.I. Department of Education (RIDE), led by Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green, took over actual supervision of the Providence Schools. The pandemic of course has slowed many initiatives taken by RIDE under the leadership of Infante Green, which can be viewed here:
https://www.ride.ri.gov/InsideRIDE/AdditionalInformation/News.aspx.
The School Board meeting focused largely on difficulties of instruction and learning during the pandemic. Ten percent of students are attending bricks & mortar classes, and 90% are learning on-line. Teachers have not only had to learn and use new technologies on-the-spot, but be able to alternate between teaching students in classrooms and on-line. A diligent effort is being made by teachers and members of the central school administration to reach students and their families in this 90%, through home visits, contact information left when no one is at home, leaving supplemental materials such as crayons and paper at these homes, and trying to assure that families are having basic needs met, such as adequate food supply.
The Roundtable Discussion of the CSSJ included two high school students and two public school teachers who spoke of their current struggles. (Roundtable on Education in Rhode Island during COVID-19, to view please click here.) Distance learning has challenged all. Many students resent the invasion of the privacy of their households presented by cameras in their homes (accounting for many of the blocked cameras seen by teachers and making attendance tracking impossible), and their difficulties help to add income to their families, translating for parents and other family members, assisting them to appointments, etc. One student reported that while one of her teachers gave failing grades for work not turned in on-time, other teachers took the approach, “get the work in when you can.”
Checking the “Commissioner’s Corner” on the RIDE website, Infante-Green writes that “having herself learned English in school, and as the parent of a child with special needs, she has fought to replace a “deficit” view with an “enrichment” view for students who need more.” It seems that this approach may be trickling down to some, if not all, of the Providence school teachers.
The Roundtable concluded by focusing on the many opportunities for change that the pandemic can make possible. Improved distance learning could provide the flexibility for students with family commitments that don’t fit the present 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. schedule; and in fact would make it possible to start school at a later time to meet the needs of adolescents, well-known to need more sleep than presently possible during school days. An additional possibility is that Brown and RISD could contribute greatly to the teaching of creative distance learning which has been such a struggle for public school teachers.
Finally, I especially want to note that League member Sarah Morenon, retired librarian from Nathanael Green Middle School, spoke during the public comment section of the Board meeting. She conveyed her firsthand knowledge of increasing neglect of school libraries, dwindling opportunities for developing research skills, librarian positions not being filled, and the need for fulltime librarians at each school.
To learn more about the School Board, to read minutes of past meetings, or to learn about making a public comment, see https://www.providenceschools.org/schoolboard. The next meeting Wednesday, February 17, 6:30 p.m.
