Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green demands action following a surge in school violence, with over 40 students arrested at Woonsocket High School this year and four students charged in an alleged assault of a special-needs student at Rogers High School in Newport. School committees in both districts are meeting to address safety measures and prevent bullying.
A federal lawsuit alleging Providence Public School District failed to provide timely special education services to preschool-aged students with disabilities has been closed after the district demonstrated substantial compliance with a 2023 settlement agreement. The district restructured evaluation processes, expanded pre-K special education classrooms from 35 to 41, and implemented tracking systems to ensure students receive required services under federal law.
A Rhode Island Foundation Blue Ribbon Commission is calling for a major overhaul of the state's school funding formula, recommending the state increase its share of K-12 education costs from the current 38% to relieve pressure on municipal property taxes. The commission proposes expanding the formula to cover transportation, special education, and teacher pension costs while requiring municipalities to make minimum contributions based on property wealth.
Rhode Island's General Assembly returns January 6 facing major challenges including looming Medicaid cuts that will remove 33,500 residents from coverage, a fragile healthcare system with provider shortages, and federal funding uncertainties. House Speaker Shekarchi calls it the most challenging session in his six years leading the chamber, with priorities including healthcare reform, housing affordability, and workforce development.
Three Rhode Island educators from Park Elementary, Goff Middle School, and Coventry High School were honored with 2025 STEAM Educator Awards, each receiving a $1,000 classroom grant and $500 personal award for their innovative teaching approaches that spark creativity and critical thinking in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
The Trump administration announced six interagency agreements transferring major Education Department functions to the departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State, including K-12 and higher education programs, in a sweeping effort to downsize the agency without congressional approval.
A coalition of unions and school districts expanded their lawsuit against the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Education Department, adding disability rights group The Arc and challenging new interagency agreements that transfer department responsibilities to other federal agencies.
A Stanford University study found that Rhode Island charter school students gained the equivalent of 90 extra days of learning in English and 88 days in math annually, attributing the nation-leading results to 2017 regulatory reforms that simplified charter evaluation and renewal procedures.
House Education Committee Chair Rep. Joseph McNamara pre-filed legislation to establish a statewide zero-tolerance anti-hazing policy for school sports, with penalties including team suspensions and season cancellations, following recent incidents at Smithfield and Rogers High Schools.
With early childhood education centers closing due to federal government shutdown, local leaders scramble to find funding to keep Head Start programs serving 700,000+ low-income children nationwide. Centers provide free preschool, health screenings, parent resources and meals, but funding exhaustion forces closures, creating difficult choices for vulnerable families including migrant farmworkers.
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