Presentation by Angus Davis to current and former members of the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Foundation. May 21, 2009. Adapted from a presentation of national significance by Whitney Tilson with additional Rhode Island-specific research by Angus Davis, member, Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, State of Rhode Island.

1. The Urgent Need for Genuine
School Reform in Rhode Island,
and How to Achieve It
Angus Davis - May 21, 2009 - Rhode Island Foundation
http://blog.bestforkids.org/
Twitter: @angusdav - About me: http://angusdavis.com - Email: angus.davis@gmail.com
Adapted from Whitney Tilson’s Original Work, Plus New RI-Specific Research

2. Key Messages
• Education is economic and civil rights issue
• RI: No state spends more to get less, and
achievement gaps among largest in nation
• Solutions: teacher effectiveness, new schools
• Stop “tinkering in the periphery”: focus on
policy, and programs for cause, not symptom
• Tough love: focus on outcomes, always
• “By any means necessary” 2

3. Public Education in
America: 2009
3

4. By the Numbers
• 49.8 million students
• 3.6 million teachers
• 98,800 schools
• 13,800 districts
• Total spending: approx. half a trillion annually
(more than defense budget)
4

5. ...in Rhode Island
• ~150k students
• ~11k teachers
• ~325 schools
• ~36 districts
• Education spending $1.9 billion
• 2000-2006: State education aid up 45% on
per-pupil basis; overall spending up 39%
Source: RIPEC Education in Rhode Island, 2008 5

6. US Education System
Defining Characteristics
• High degree of state & local autonomy
• No scale / R&D
• No common metric of success
• Fiscal inequity
• Entrenched bureaucratic system
• Top-down governance
• Little or no innovation
• Delivery system has changed little for generations
6

7. Why Does Education
Reform Matter?
Answer 1: The Economy
7

8. In 1980, college graduates earned 50%
more than those with only a high school
diploma. Today, they earn almost double.
2006 Median Earnings
Less than High School 20,506
High School Diploma 27,384
70
%
Some College 31,789
m
or
e
Associate Degree 35,274
Bachelors Degree 46,435
12,500 25,000 37,500 50,000
Source: 2007 Annual Social & Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey, US Census Bureau 8

9. Nearly All of 13 million new jobs created
from 1992–2002 required at least some
college experience; jobs for those without
college experience declined by 300,000!
Less than High School
High School
2-Year Academic Millions of
2-Year Technical
New Jobs
Some College
4-Year Degree
-1.75 0 1.75 3.50 5.25 7.00
Source: Employment Policy Foundation tabulations of Bureau of Labor Statistics / Census
9
Current Population Survey data; MTC Institute

10. Implications:
Today’s economy
requires education.
Jobs for dropouts are
gone.
10

11. So what has
Rhode Island done to
meet this challenge?
11

12. “Inputs” Are Up
Dramatically...
12

13. Teachers with a Masters
Degree Up 107 Percent
Percent of Teachers with Masters Degree
60%
56%
53%
45% 49%
30%
27%
15%
0%
1970 1980 1990 2003
Source: National Center for Education Statistics 13

14. Teacher Experience
Level Up 75 Percent
Average Years of Experience
15 years
10 years
5 years
0 years
1970 1980 1990 2003
Source: National Center for Education Statistics 14

15. Student-Teacher Ratio
Reduced by 33 Percent
National Average Rhode Island
21.7
22.0
20.0
18.7
17.2
16.2 15.9
16.5 14.6
13.4
11.0
5.5
0
1970 1980 1990 2003
Source: National Center for Education Statistics 15

16. Per-Pupil Spending in RI
Is Up by 165 Percent
National Average Rhode Island
$13,000 $11,976
All Figures Adjusted for Inflation
to Constant 2004-2005 dollars
$10,500
$9,079
$9,053
$8,000
$6,477
$7,526
$5,500$4,522
$5,536
$4,141
$3,000
1970 1980 1990 2003
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2006 Digest of Education Statistics 16

17. But, Despite a Huge
Increase in Inputs,
Outcomes Are Flat...
17

18. National Assessment
Scores Are Flat
Age 9 Reading Age 13 Reading Age 17 Reading
Age 9 Math Age 13 Math Age 17 Math
350
+ 0%
300
- 1%
+ 5%
+ 1%
250
+ 9%
+ 4%
200
150
1972 1980 1990 2004
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and NCES 2006 Digest of Education Statistics 18

19. National Assessment
Scores Are Flat
Age 9 Reading Age 13 Reading Age 17 Reading
Age 9 Math Age 13 Math Age 17 Math
350 $11,976 (+ 165%)
+ 0%
300
$9,079 - 1%
+ 5%
+ 1%
250
+ 9%
$6,477
+ 4%
200$4,522
150
1972 1980 1990 2004
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and NCES 2006 Digest of Education Statistics 18

20. SAT Scores Are Flat;
Reading Went Down
Reading Mathematics
800
650
500 508 501 501 495
350
200
1987 1995 2000 2005
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 134 19

21. 74%
Rhode Island’s High
School Graduation Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009 20

22. 60%
Woonsocket High
School Graduation Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009 21

23. 57%
Pawtucket Shea High
School Graduation Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009 22

24. 52%
Providence Central
High School Graduation
Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009 23

25. 52%
Central Falls High
School Graduation Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009 24

26. 49%
Hope High School
Graduation Rate
Source: RIDE, 2009. Figure is for Hope Info Tech School, 2007-2008 4-year grad rate is 48.6% 25

27. 35%
Rhode Island High
School Graduates Ready
for College
Source: Jay Greene and Greg Forster, Manhattan Institute, 2003. Public High School Graduation and College Readiness
26
Rates in the United States. See http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm

28. Top 5 College Choices for
Barrington High School Graduates
1 URI
2 RIC
3 Northeastern
4 Johnson & Wales
5 Boston University
Source: Barrington Times, July 21, 2005. “220 of 244 BHS graduates will attend college” by Josh Bickford. 27

29. 6-Year College Graduation Rates
All US 4-Year Colleges 55%
1 URI 57%
2 RIC 43%
3 Northeastern 60%
4 Johnson & Wales 53%
5 Boston University 75%
Source: US Dept. of Ed, Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (“IPEDS”) Graduation Rate Survey (“GRS”). 28

30. Situation Is Worse at
Associates Degree Colleges
• At CCRI, 58% of students require remedial
courses to make up for failure of K-12
system
• Only 10% of CCRI students graduate with a
2-year degree within 3 years
Source for CCRI graduation data: US Department of Education, IPEDS, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/; remedial course
enrollment data based on freshman entering Fall 2002; source: Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher 29
Education, April 2005 http://www.ribghe.org/2005rireport.pdf

31. 4 th
Rhode Island’s National
Rank in Per-Pupil
Spending
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 167 30

32. 40 th
Rhode Island’s National
Rank in Student
Achievement
Source: National Assessment for Educational Progress 31

33. No State
Spends More to Get
Less
32

34. The World Is Flat:
Global Competition
33

35. Even Our Best Students (Top 5%) Rank
23rd out of 29 OECD Countries
Source: OECD PISA 2003; slide courtesy of Education Trust 34

36. ... even our Wealthiest Students (Top 5%)
Rank 23rd out of 29 OECD Countries
Source: OECD PISA 2003; slide courtesy of Education Trust 35

37. Our Performance Declines Dramatically
the Longer Our Students Are in School
Source: NCES Highlights from TIMSS; slide courtesy of Education Trust 36

38. Trends Are Even Worse for Science
Source: NCES Highlights from TIMSS; slide courtesy of Education Trust 37

39. Our Graduation Rate Trails Most
Industrialized Countries
Source: OECD “Education at a Glance” 2003; slide courtesy of Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform 38

40. Tops in College Participation,
but Bottom Half in Completion
College Participation College Completion
Korea Japan
Greece Portugal
Finland United Kingdom
Belgium Australia
United States Switzerland
Ireland Denmark
Ireland
Poland
New Zealand
Australia France
France Iceland
Hungary Korea
Spain Belgium
New Zealand Sweden
Netherlands Slovak Republic
Norway Poland
Portugal United States
Sweden Spain
Czech Republic Netherlands
Germany Hungary
Czech Republic
Austria
Mexico
Denmark Norway
Slovak Republic Finland
Iceland Turkey
Switzerland Austria
Mexico Germany
Turkey Italy
0 12.5 25 37.5 50 0 7.5 15 22.5 30
Source: OECD, National Report Card on Higher Education (measuringup,highereducation.org); Slide
39
Courtesy Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform

41. Implications:
Even our wealthiest
students face a stark
achievement gap in the
global market for talent
40

42. But what about the
achievement gap for
children of color?
41

43. Why Does Education
Reform Matter?
Answer 2: Civil Rights
42

44. The Majority of Black & Latino 4th
Graders, Nationwide, Are Illiterate
Below Basic Basic Advanced/Proficient
100
13% 16%
41% 42%
75 29% 30%
50
35% 32%
58% 58%
25
24% 27%
0
Black Latino White Asian
Source: 2005 data, National Center for Education Statistics NAEP Data Explorer; Slide Courtesy
43
Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform

45. The Majority of Black & Latino 4th
Graders, Nationwide, Are Illiterate
Below Basic Basic Advanced/Proficient
100
13% 16%
“Below Basic” 75 41% 42%
29% 30%
readers in 4th
grade can’t 50
read a simple 35% 32%
children’s 25
58% 58%
book 24% 27%
0
Black Latino White Asian
Source: 2005 data, National Center for Education Statistics NAEP Data Explorer; Slide Courtesy
43
Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform

46. African American and Latino
12th Graders Read at Same Level
As White 8th Graders
Source: NAEP; Slide Courtesy Education Trust 44

47. ... the Same Is True in Math
Source: NAEP; Slide Courtesy Education Trust 45

48. OK, the national stats are
bad. But what about
Rhode Island?
46

49. 0
10
20
30
40
Alab
12
am
Source: NAEP 2007
Alas a
13
k
Ariz a
28
ona
Arka
n
18
Calif sas
26
orni
Colo a
25
Con rado
nec
33
Dela ticut
17
Dist ware
rict
of C
olum
5
bia
Flor
id
Geo a
21
rgia
Haw
12 13
ai
Idah i
25
o
Illino
21
is
India
13
na
Grade 8 Reading Gap
19
Iowa
Kans
24
Kent as
u
Loui cky
siana
Main
Mar e
Mass
achu
yland 18
s
Mich etts
Minn igan
e
272628
Miss sota
issip
Miss pi
o
22
Mon uri
tana
Neb
16
ras
Nev ka
24
New ada
Ham
18
New pshire
22
New Jersey
M
20
Newexico
29
Nor York
th C
24
Nor aroli
th D na
akot
Oh a
14
Okla io
25
ho
Ore ma
26
Penn gon
28
sylva
Largest Hispanic-White
Rho
d nia
Grade 8 Reading
34
Sout e Island
h
24
Sout Carolina
achievement gap in the nation
hD
Tennakota
15
esse
Texae
s
2424
Utah
Verm
o
RI Hispanic-White Gap:
Virg nt
14
Was inia
h
Wes ington
tV
Wis irginia
co
23 22
Wyo nsin
21
ming
47

50. 0
10
20
30
40
Alab
29
am
Source: NAEP 2007
Alas a
20
k
Ariz a
27
ona
Arka
n
25
Calif sas
orni
Colo a
3132
Con rado
nec
39
Dela ticut
27
Dist ware
rict
0
of C
olum
bia
10
Flor
18
id
Geo a
22
rgia
Haw
15
ai
Idah i
o
Illino
26
is
Grade 8 Math Gap
India
24 23
na
Iowa
Kans 2826
Kent as
u
Loui cky
siana
000
Main
Mar e
28
Mass yland
35
achu
s
Mich etts
26
Minn igan
e
28
0
Miss sota
issip
Miss pi
o
17
0
Mon uri
tana
Neb
29
ras
Nev ka
New ada
Ham
New pshire
27
New Jersey
M
Newexico
2524 2526
Nor York
th C
22
Nor aroli
0
th D na
akot
Oh a
15
Okla io
21
ho
Grade 8 Math
Ore ma
Penn gon
2829
sylva
Rho
d nia
33
Sout e Island
h
3rd Largest Hispanic-White
21
Sout Carolina
achievement gap in the nation
hD
Tennakota
18
esse
Texae
23 23
s
31
Utah
0
Verm
o
RI Hispanic-White Gap:
Virg nt
21
Was inia
h
27
Wes ington
0
tV
Wis irginia
co
24
Wyo nsin
16
ming
48

51. Why Focus on the
Hispanic-White Gap?
49

52. RI Urban Districts
Are Mostly Hispanic
Other Other
White
White 7% 3%
16% Hispanic
12% 29%
African American
White
14%
African American Hispanic 45%
22% 59% Hispanic
70% African American
23%
Providence Central Falls Pawtucket
25,644 students 3,644 students 9,165 students
Across all these districts, 52% of all students are Hispanic
Consider the implications of having the nation’s largest
Hispanic-White achievement gap
Source: RIDE Information Works! 2008 for 2006-2007 school year 50

53. So, what are the
solutions?
Source: National Assessment for Educational Progress 51

54. Solution #1:
More Effective Teachers

55. Boston: One Third of Teachers Had No
Measurable Impact on Skills of Students
Notes: 10th grade students at non-selective Boston public schools; average student scores prior to10th grade were comparable
53
(670-687 range); excluded bilingual and special education students. Source: Boston Public Schools, Bain & Company, 3/31/98

56. Simple Question to RI Urban
Superintendent:
“If you had to rehire all of your
high school teachers, what
percentage would you rehire?”
54

57. Answer:
“20 Percent.”
55

58. There Is Enormous
Variation Among Teachers
Source: Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job, Hamilton Project, April 2006;
56
Slide Courtesy Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform

59. Dallas Study Compares Two Groups
of Students, Both Start 3rd Grade at
Same Level of Math Achievement
Beginning of 3rd Grade
100
75
55% 57%
50
25
0
Group 1 Group 2
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of Teachers on Longitudinal Student
57
Achievement, 1997. Slide courtesy of Ed Trust

60. Three Years Later, One Group VASTLY
Outperforms Other; the Only Difference:
Group 1 Had 3 Effective Teachers; Group 2 Had 3 Ineffective
Teachers
Beginning of 3rd Grade End of 5th Grade
100
76%
75
55% 57%
50
27%
25
0
Group 1: Assigned to 3 Effective Teachers Group 2: Assigned to 3 Ineffective Teachers
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of Teachers on Longitudinal Student
58
Achievement, 1997. Slide courtesy of Ed Trust

61. Same Study Examined Reading
Achievement...
Beginning of 3rd Grade
100
75
59% 60%
50
25
0
Group 1 Group 2
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of Teachers on Longitudinal Student
59
Achievement, 1997. Slide courtesy of Ed Trust

62. ... and the Results Were Similar
Beginning of 3rd Grade End of 5th Grade
100
76%
75
55% 57%
50 42%
25
0
Group 1: Assigned to 3 Effective Teachers Group 2: Assigned to 3 Ineffective Teachers
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of Teachers on Longitudinal Student
60
Achievement, 1997. Slide courtesy of Ed Trust

63. This Is What Closing the
Achivement Gap Looks Like
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of Teachers on Longitudinal Student
61
Achievement, 1997. Slide courtesy of Ed Trust

64. So how are we
distributing our most
effective teachers?
62

65. High-Poverty Schools More Likely
to Have Low-Aptitude Teachers
Top-Quartile SAT Scores Bottom-Quartile SAT Scores
40
30
20
10
0
High-Poverty Schools Low-Poverty Schools
Source: The Real Value of Teachers, Education Trust, Winter 2004 63

66. High-Poverty Schools More Likely to Have
Teachers from Non-Competitive Colleges
% of Teachers Who Attended Non-Competitive Colleges
40
30
20
10
0
High-Poverty Schools Low-Poverty Schools
Source: The Real Value of Teachers, Education Trust, Winter 2004 64

67. College Seniors Who Plan to Enter
Education Have Very Low Scores
Source: General Test Percentage Distribution of Scores Within Intended Broad Graduate Major Field Based on Seniors and
65
NonenrolledCollege Graduates, Educational Testing Service, www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/5_01738_table_4.pdf

68. Of 23 possible college majors, only
three had lower SAT scores than
prospective education majors'
combined average score of 961 out
of 1600.
Sources: Teaching at Risk-Progress and Potholes, The Teaching Commission, March 2006; Teacher Pay Reforms, Center for
66
American Progress, December 2006.

69. Why don’t more of our
best and brightest go
into teaching?
67

70. Most Teachers Are
Women
These figures are
virtually unchanged
since the 1960s, when
the number was 69%.
Recent changes include
More men in elementary,
Men more women in
secondary.
21%
Women
79%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 68. Figures from 2001. 68

71. In the Past, Women Had
Fewer Career Choices
69

72. The Huge Impact of
Equal Rights Movement
Women 25-34 with 4-year College Degree
Women 25-34 in the Workforce
100%
By comparison, the
fraction of college
Doubled
educated young men
increased by only 50 73% 74%
75% percent over the
same period. 65%
46%
50%
37%
26%
Tripled
21% 23%
25%
12%
9%
0%
1964 1970 1980 1990 1996
Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Corcoran, Evans & Schwab: quot;Changing Labor Market
70
Opportunities for Women and the Quality of Teachers 1957-1992.quot;

73. 52%
Working women with
college degrees who
were teachers: 1964
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 167 71

74. 15%
Working women with
college degrees who
were teachers: 1996
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 167 72

75. Why Has Teacher
Effectiveness Declined?
• More career opportunities for women and
minorities
• Ineffective recruiting and training practices
• Ineffective schools of education (80% of RI certified
teachers graduate from RIC)
• Lack of accountability in the system
• Increasing difficulty of removing ineffective teachers
• Outstanding performance is not
rewarded; no differential pay (Providence
laid off teacher of the year -- TWICE)
Slide Courtesy Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform 73

76. How We Reward
Teachers Today:
1. Seniority
2. Certifications
Neither of these is correlated strongly with
student achievement
74

77. Teacher Seniority After First 3 Years
not Correlated to Achievement
Source: Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job, Hamilton Project, April 2006 75

78. Type of Certification not
Correlated to Achievement
Source: Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job, Hamilton Project, April 2006 76

79. Implications:
• Effective teachers are critical to raising student
achievement, especially for low-performing children
• We should reward our best teachers and remove
ineffective ones
• We should measure behaviors correlated to raising
achievement (past effectiveness), rather focusing on
inputs like seniority that have little or no impact
77

80. Organizations Focused on
Raising Educator Effectiveness
Teachers Policy Leaders
• Teach for America • National Council • New Leaders for
on Teacher Quality New Schools
• The New Teacher
Project • Education Trust • Building Excellent
Schools
• Teacher U • Many others
• Education Pioneers
If you are serious about raising educator effectiveness,
engage these organizations in Rhode Island!
78

81. Solution #2:
New, High-Performing
Schools
79

82. What They Want You to Believe:
“Blame the Kid” / “Blame the Parent”
Source: “The Shape of the Starting Line” - RIFTHP/NEARI, May 2006 80

83. What Can Be Done?
There are two general approaches:
Improve the current system Create Alternatives to It
• More choice among public schools • Create choices outside of the traditional public
• Hire/train better principals and empower them school system via public charter schools, tuition
• Better measure student achievement and vouchers and/or tax credits
teacher effectiveness • This will create better options and spur the
• Hold principals and teachers accountable for regular public schools to improve, benefiting
improving student achievement even the students “left behind”
• Merit and “hardship” pay for teachers
• Renegotiate onerous provisions of teacher
contracts (make it harder to get tenure and
easier to remove ineffective teachers; eliminate
bumping, etc.)
• Eliminate social promotion
• Longer school day and year
• Close or break-up chronically underperforming
schools
Slide courtesy of Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform 81

84. Creating Alternatives:
Charter Schools
82

85. Charter Schools Are:
• Public schools, Tuition-free, Non-selective
• Greater autonomy & accountability
• Authorized in RI by Board of Regents
• Reviewed & renewed every 5 years
• In many communities are the only option
available to parents seeking alternatives
• 4000 nationally, 11 in Rhode Island
83

86. Charters Cream... the
Disadvantaged Kids!
• Charter schools serve greater percentages of low-
income children and children of color than traditional
district schools
State
Charters
68.5%
70
57.4%
52.5 43.8%
39.2%
35 30.8%
18.6% 21.2%
17.5 9%
3.2% 2.1% 0.7% 1.3%
0
Hi Af W As O Lo
sp rica hit ian th w-
an n e er Inc
ic Am om
eric e
an
Source: RIDE, based on 2008-09 Enrollments 84

87. Among Rhode Island’s 11 Charters, Some
Outperform Districts; None Close Gap
93%
Barrington 86%
79%
88%
East Greenwich 79%
75% Goal
63%
Paul Cuffee Charter 56%
52%
compare to: 46% Closing gap,
Providence District 30%
but still not
32%
59% closed
Learning Community 56%
26%
compare to:
46%
Central Falls District 30% Only closing
25%
71% gap in
Blackstone Charter 9%
reading,
25%
compare to:
54% actually
Pawtucket District 14%
increasing
33%
74% gap in
Beacon Charter 17% Reading
30% math,
compare to: 49% Math writing
Woonsocket District 16%
Writing
40%
0 25 50 75 100
85
Source: RIDE, 2008 NECAP - Proficient (Level 3/4) - district-wide except high schools are 11th grade comparisons only

88. Bottom Line:
Some RI charters are closing gap, some
are no better than district, but none
have fully closed gap - yet.
Not all charter schools are good, but
some are PHENOMENAL.
86

89. Nationally, Many Charters
Have CLOSED THE GAP
• Knowledge Is Power Program “KIPP”
• Achievement First
• Uncommon Schools
• Democracy Prep
• Roxbury Prep
• ... and more “No Excuses” styled schools
87

90. Roxbury Prep Reversed the Gap:
Black Students Outperform Whites
Slide Courtesy Whitney Tilson / Democrats for Education Reform 88

91. KIPP
Source: NY State Dept. of Education; Slide Courtesy Seth Andrew / Democracy Prep 89

92. Amistad / Achievement
First
Source: CT State Dept. of Education; Slide Courtesy Seth Andrew / Democracy Prep 90

93. North Star /
Uncommon Schools
Source: NJ State Dept. of Education; Slide Courtesy Seth Andrew / Democracy Prep 91

94. Required Reading
What do high-
performing schools
do differently to
achieve these
results? Read this
book for
surprisingly simple
answers.
92

95. Why Aren’t Schools Like
These in Rhode Island?
• Until last year, RI had one of the country’s worst charter
school laws, which scared away top-tier operators
• RI had a ban (“moratorium”) on new charters
• RI lacks the “support network” (e.g. strong ed reform
community, TFA, TNTP, etc.) many charter operators seek
• Very weak / ineffective state charter association
• RI wasn’t active on the national education reform “scene”
93

96. Update:
We’re Tackling These!
94

97. 2008:
Charter School Ban
Expires
95

98. 2008: New Charter Law
Creates Third Pathway
• Version 1: District-affiliated (3 operating)
• Must be part of traditional district; bound by district’s
collective bargaining agreement
• All 3 have petitioned Regents to become “independent”
• Version 2: Independent (8 operating)
• Operated by independent non-profit
• Still bound by teacher tenure, traditional pay scales and
forced participation in state retirement system
• Version 3: Mayoral Academy (2 proposed)
• Operated by non-profit, proposed by mayors
• Can offer “merit pay,” 401(k) plans; no tenure required
96

99. This Is How We Passed Mayoral
Academy Charter Law in 2008
Nat’l
Local
Mayors: Cumberland Mayor Dan McKee; Doyle (Pawtucket); Almond (Lincoln);
Moreau (CF); Cicilline (Prov.); Lombardi (N. Prov.); Napolitano (Cranston); Polisena
Political (Johnson)
House Leadership: Gordon Fox; Steve Costantino; Bill Murphy
Governor: Gov. Carcieri 97

100. Implications
• Public charter schools provide a powerful alternative to
parents who have no options
• Rhode Island’s current crop of charters has a few strong
performers, but none have closed the achievement gap, yet
• With new mayoral academy law, it will be possible to attract
top-tier charter operators to Rhode Island to CLOSE THE
GAP.
• Focus on outcomes; fund schools that raise achievement
• Attracting national leaders to RI is possible, but only as
result of political process. We must stay engaged. Help!
98

101. Overall Implications:
Stop Tinkering in the
Periphery!
99

102. Get Upset; Stop
Accepting Mediocrity!
100

103. How Would You React:
• ... if Cox Cable TV only delivered 40% of the
channels you paid for?
• ... if Verizon dropped 85% of your calls?
• ... if National Grid only delivered electricity
40% of the time?
101

104. So Then Why Do You Accept This?
You receive a
$10,202 tax bill...
...$5,509 goes to
school dept...
... where only 40%
of 8th graders read
at grade level, and
only 15% of 11th
graders perform
10th grade math
Source: City of Providence June 2008 Budget; 54% spent on Education 102

105. Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richard_wasserman/3544239679/ 103

106. Programs vs. Policy
Instead of this... ... do this:
Meet your legislator to complain
Read a book to a low-income child
about low reading scores
Contribute money to a private Advocate expansion of the RI
voucher program like RISE Scholarship Tax Credit
Visit the Paul Cuffee Charter School Challenge legislators who oppose
bake sale charter schools
Donate to the Charter School Donate to the political campaign of
‘Annual Fund’ charter school supporters
Donate computers to local high Oppose local school bumping science
school teacher of the year
“feel good” “attack problem” 104

107. Symptoms vs. Cause
“fix symptoms” “fix cause”
After-school reading tutor Recruitment program to put
program for kids who can’t read effective teachers in classrooms
1-day professional development Reform math program at RIC,
for ineffective math teachers source of 80% of math teachers
“A day at the theater” program Implement performing arts in
for inner-city youth core curriculum; open arts school
30-minute common planning time 60% more time in school via
added to weekly schedule longer school days, years
Replace the team who oversaw
Rebuild crumbling school buildings
the crumbling of the buildings
105

108. Focus on solving the
problem, not feeling good.
Attack causes, not
symptoms.
106

109. So why Should National
Education Reformers
Focus on Rhode Island?
107

110. Rhode Island Kids
Face Real Challenges
108

111. Highest Rates of
Childhood Poverty
• Rhode Island childhood poverty rate is the
highest of any state in New England
• Rhode Island has the 12th highest rate of
childhood poverty in the country
• Providence has the third highest rate of any
city in America, behind Browning, TX,
Hartford, CT, and tied with New Orleans, LA
Source: 2000 US Census Data, RI Kids Count 109

112. Highest Rate of Special
Education Enrollment
Up 56% since Rhode Island, 20.2%
1990-91 school
21% year. This is the
9th highest rate of
growth in country
17%
13% Nat’l Avg: 13.8%
9%
5%
CA
AZ
UT
NV
GA
AL
TN
MD
MS
MI
OH
OR
LA
NC
WI
OK
NH
IA
FL
NE
DE
SC
MA
IN
WV
RI
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; data based on 2003-2004 enrollment 110

113. But, Rhode Island Has
Some Unique
Advantages...
111

114. Small State Comparable
in Size to a District
Student Enrollment, October 2003
Palm Beach, FL 170,260
Fairfax County,VA 164,235
Dallas, TX 160,584
Rhode Island 159,375
Detroit, MI 153,034
Montgomery County, MD 139,201
San Diego, CA 137,960
45,000 90,000 135,000 180,000
Source: RIDE & National Center for Education Statistics 112

115. Our largest district is
just 5 times the size of
one Chicago high school
Comparison based on 25,190 students enrolled in Providence Public School district, vs.
113
Lane Technical High School in Chicago with 4,527 students enrolled.

116. There’s No Shortage
of Money
$16,000
Rhode Island spending
among highest in nation
$12,500
$9,000
$5,500
$2,000
WA
UT
ID
OK
TN
FL
NC
SD
LA
TX
SC
MO
GA
MT
OR
IN
NH
OH
WI
MD
WY
DE
VT
CT
NJ
DC
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 167.
114
Figures are for 2002-03 school year in 2004-05 dollars.

117. Ideal Location on
Northeast Corridor
Boston
RI
NYC
115

118. Significant Intellectual
Capital
(Among Others)
116

119. Significant Intellectual
Our Mission
Capital
The mission of Lifespan is to improve the health status of the people whom we serve in Rhode Island and
southeastern New England through the provision of customer friendly, geographically accessible and high
value services. We believe that this can best be accomplished within the environment of a comprehensive,
integrated, academic health system.
Helping our Hospitals Take the Best Care of You
(Among Others)
Rhode Island Hospital/ 116
Hasbro Children’s Hospital

120. Two Such National
Leaders Join Me Today:
Effective Teachers:
High-Performing New Schools:
117

121. Placeholder: Presentations
from Teach for America and
Democracy Prep
Go Here
118

122. Together WE CAN give every Rhode
Island child access to the world’s best
educational opportunities. Together WE
WILL end the achievement gap.
Join us! Help!
119

123. Thank you!
About Me:
http://angusdavis.com/
@angusdav on Twitter
blog.bestforkids.org
120