In the Spotlight

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

Educational Services for Undocumented Children

As noted in the Commissioner's Field Memo on September 8, RIDE has posted Frequently Asked Questions, including guidance on how to approach the unlikely event of a school-based immigration law enforcement request.

2016-17 Rhode Island Assessment Results Released

A record number of Rhode Island high school students took the SAT this year. Statewide, 79 percent of high school juniors completed the SAT during the free, in-school administration that was included as part of the approved state budget. This is a 20-percentage-point participation rate increase from the prior school year. On the 2017 PARCC, scores remained relatively constant.

Learn more on our Assessment Results page or read the news release!

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. 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.

Read more about our Rhode Island Teacher of the Year on our Teacher of the Year webpage!

Creating Pathways to Opportunity:
2017 State of Education in Rhode Island

Ken Wagner, Ph.D., Commissioner

My standard for success is simple. I’ll support anything that helps teachers teach and students learn. An investment in them is an investment in our future, because a highly-skilled workforce, a growing economy, and vibrant communities are all anchored in education. But our economy has changed, and our students have changed. If we want our children to be competitive – if we want Rhode Island to be competitive – education needs to change, too.