Rhode Island has yet to decide whether to participate in the first major federal program funding private schools, which offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donations to scholarship organizations covering private school tuition and related expenses.

A GoLocal guest commentary raises concerns about repeated financial leadership turnover, a proposed $48 million budget increase, and a lack of public transparency following a student hazing incident in the Smithfield School Department.

The Rhode Island House Education Committee considered legislation creating a statewide zero-tolerance hazing policy, including team suspensions and mandatory anti-hazing statements for coaches and athletes, prompted by incidents at Smithfield and Rogers High Schools.

U.S. House Democrats gathered at a spotlight forum to push back against the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, including interagency agreements that transfer core departmental functions to other federal agencies. Ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia warned that the administration has repeatedly bypassed Congress in its moves to scale back public education, and lawmakers called for strong opposition to any attempt to shutter the agency.

A new report from the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council finds that chronic absenteeism has dropped to 22% statewide, down from a pandemic peak of 34%, with Providence and Central Falls leading the way through data driven outreach and family partnerships. Advocates are now calling on the state to formalize proven intervention strategies and require consistent attendance policies across all districts, warning that progress remains uneven and that some schools still see absenteeism rates above 40%.