The Education Blog

Board of Ed Tackles Guns, Gist and Science

Elisabeth Harrison — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:20 +0000

There’s a meaty agenda on tap this week at the State Board of Education. The group is scheduled to vote Thursday on a controversial proposal to allow police to carry guns on state college campuses. The board is also scheduled to vote on adopting new science standards and consider a contract extension for Education Commissioner Deborah Gist.

A Shorter School Year for RI?

Elisabeth Harrison — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:13:41 +0000

Legislation up for a vote Tuesday in the State Senate would allow school districts to shorten the school year, if they make the school day longer.

The bill says districts should be able to scrap the current requirement of 180 days as long as they have the equivalent number of hours. Assuming the school day lasts six hours, that works out to 1,080 hours.

School Safety Bills Head to Senate Vote

Elisabeth Harrison — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:24:43 +0000

The full State Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on several bills filed in the aftermath of deadly shootings at Connecticut’s Sandyhook Elementary School.

The bills would require schools to craft safety procedures in conjunction with local law enforcement and have their plans reviewed annually by the state.

As RI Rolls Out Common Core, Are New Science Standards Next?

Elisabeth Harrison — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:44:59 +0000

Rhode Island is one of 26 states that have promised to consider new science guidelines known as the Next Generation Science Standards. The standards were developed by the same organization that created the Common Core, a group of national standards many states including Rhode Island are now adopting for Math and English.

Business Supports Gist

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:50:10 +0000

Business leaders are coming out in support of Deborah Gist, the state’s controversial education commissioner. The Providence Journal reports that two dozen business organizations have asked the State Board of Education to renew Gist’s contract, which is currently under review.

House Committee Delays Gun Vote

Elisabeth Harrison — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:52:06 +0000

A key house committee has put off voting on a bill that would allow campus police to carry guns at state universities, saying lawmakers need more time to gather information.

Rhode Island is currently the only state that prohibits guns on state college police forces, although some individual schools have decided against the practice. Proponents of the bill to arm campus police say it will speed response times in an emergency, a concern that was underscored during a gun scare at the University of Rhode Island last month.

Executive Pay at Public Universities: How RI Measures Up

Elisabeth Harrison — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:02:28 +0000

The Chronicle of Higher Education finds University of Rhode Island President David Dooley is 134^th in the country when it comes to his compensation package.

'Playful Providence' Encourages Kids to Get Outside and Play

Elisabeth Harrison — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:06:00 +0000

Providence kicks off a 5-month celebration of children’s play Saturday with a pop up play day at India Point Park. The Providence Children’s Museum will be on hand with all kinds of different material, so kids can build forts, play games and get creative. Museum Director Janice O’Donnell says this type of free playtime is important for cognitive and social development.

"We know that children need to play, and we know that children’s time and space for free, self-directed kid-powered play has been declining, and it is certainly a goal of the children’s museum to bring back play."

Senate Vote Scheduled on Teacher Evaluations

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:54:54 +0000

The full Senate is expected to vote today on a bill that would make teacher evaluations private under the state’s public record act.

Education officials have argued the evaluations are already private under personnel rules, but they want to make sure they are not considered part of the public record.

Open government advocates oppose the idea of exempting teacher evaluations from the list of public documents. A companion bill in the House is still in committee.

Ahlquist to Receive Award at Playboy Mansion

Elisabeth Harrison — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:49:29 +0000

The Rhode Island student who successfully challenged a prayer banner in Cranston public schools is getting an award from Hugh Hefner.

Jessica Ahlquist will receive a Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award at the playboy mansion in Beverly Hills. Ahlquist writes on her Facebook page that she is honored to be chosen but adds she is not expecting to meet Hugh Hefner in person. She says his daughter Christie Hefner will attend the ceremony, where Ahlquist will receive a plaque and $5,000.