From Passion to Pathways:
The 2018 State of Education in Rhode Island

Commissioner Wagner delivered his State of Education address on March 19 live online and to invited guests at Potter-Burns Elementary School in Pawtucket.

Follow the event on Twitter through @RIDeptEd and #RIStateofEd, or watch it on our Facebook page.

The full speech, program, and more are posted at www.ride.ri.gov/RIStateOfEd.

In the Spotlight

Regulations to Protect Transgender Students effective April 17, 2018

Thank you to everyone who participated in the public comment period for the updated regulations, which will require all LEAs to have a policy in place to ensure that transgender and gender non-conforming students are protected from discrimination. These regulations will take effect on April 17, 2018, and all LEAs must subsequently have a policy in place by July 1, 2018. The final approved version of the Regulations Governing Protections for Students Rights to be Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, or Gender Expression are now posted on the Board of Education Regulations website.

School Facilities Condition Assessment Report Released

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)'s 2017 State of Rhode Island Schoolhouses Report, a year-long assessment commissioned by the School Building Authority (SBA) and completed by Jacobs Engineering, forecasts $627.6 million in high-priority construction and repairs needed to keep students and teachers warm, safe, and dry in their classrooms. The statewide cost to bring all school buildings into ideal condition is estimated at $2.2 billion.

• Learn more on the Facilities Data & Information page.
• Read the full 2017 State of Rhode Island Schoolhouses Report
• View the interactive facilities map

Contact FixMySchool@ride.ri.gov to provide input.

Featured Educator

Meet Kristin Hayes-Leite,
2018 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year

Kristin Hayes-Leite has been a social studies teacher at Narragansett High School for the past 16 years. She is also a member of the Blended Learning Catalyst Team and was recently named to Narragansett High School’s Fuse Architect pilot design team, which is charged with creating and piloting systems to increase personalization and student engagement in learning.

We asked Kristin about how she engages students in her social studies classroom in discussions on difficult topics through strategies to encourage civic discourse.

Read her response in the blog post here, or learn more about our Rhode Island Teacher of the Year on our Teacher of the Year webpage!