East Providence, RI—Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today joined members of the Educator Autonomy Working Group at the Orlo Avenue School in East Providence to receive their final report. Working group co-chairs Yanaiza Gallant, Principal of the Orlo Avenue School, and Patricia Page, 2014 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year and a business teacher at East Greenwich High School, presented the Governor with the report. Its recommendations will clarify support and increase autonomy at all levels within the Rhode Island education system and result in significant improvements in the necessary conditions for student success.
During the presentation, the group briefed the Governor on three key recommendations they believe will create the opportunity for educators to become more innovative and effective. They are:
• Increase the awareness of existing autonomies at the district and school level.
• Provide the training, support and resources to educational leaders necessary to carry out effective and successful practices in an autonomous structure.
• Create a clear path for existing local education authorities and their schools to put autonomy into practice.
"By accepting the culmination of a lot of hard work by the dedicated members of this group, I am recognizing that our highly skilled teachers deserve the latitude to make wise decisions regarding the best interest of our students," Governor Chafee said. "I convened the Educator Autonomy Working Group to advance this goal, and I am grateful that Rhode Islanders now have recommendations for action."
As for next steps, the working group recommended the following:
• Wide dissemination of its report, findings and recommendations.
• Review of existing laws, regulations and policies that have an impact on educator autonomy.
Last December, Governor Chafee announced the 16-member group in an effort to further his commitment to developing new ways to provide greater autonomy and flexibility for teachers, principals and superintendents. The members met monthly in sessions open to the public, and the meetings included interviews with education experts from around the country and presentations from several guest speakers.
"One of our key findings was that there are many opportunities in place already for teachers to act with autonomy, but many educators are unaware of these possibilities," co-chair Gallant said. "That's why our first recommendation concerns increased awareness of opportunities already available."
"We were also concerned that, even when opportunities are available for autonomy at the school and classroom level, teachers and school leaders don't always have the knowledge and skills they need to put autonomy into action," co-chair Page added. "Our report also calls for further professional development, support and resources to help educators take advantage of autonomy possibilities."
"I appreciate all of the hard work and serious thought that went into the development of this report," Eva-Marie Mancuso, Chair of the Board of Education, said. "I will ask my Board members to take these recommendations seriously and to review existing regulations to see if we can give educators more freedom to make autonomous decisions about what goes on in their classrooms."
"I had the privilege of serving as a member of the Educator Autonomy Working Group. The group encompassed a wide range of constituencies and points of view, but we came together and reached consensus about the importance of providing educators with greater autonomy," Patrick A. Guida, Chair of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, said. "I look forward to continuing to work to implement the recommendations that the working group has developed and published."
"I commend Governor Chafee and my fellow members in the working group for bringing forward this important issue and for proposing several action steps," Commissioner Deborah A. Gist, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said. "I am committed to the principle that we should make educational decisions as close to the student level as possible. Providing teachers and school leaders with more autonomy will move us closer to that ideal."
The members of the Working Group are:
• Ron Beaupre, Pawtucket Teacher and President, Pawtucket Teachers' Alliance • Karen Castagno, Professor, Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, Rhode Island College • Susan Chin, Principal, Elementary Zone Director, Providence Public Schools • Rob DeBlois, Director, Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program • Tim Duffy, Executive Director, Rhode Island Association of School Committees • Yanaiza Gallant, Co-Chair, Principal at the Orlo Avenue School, East Providence, and 2012 Rhode Island Milken Educator Award Winner • Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner, R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education • Patrick A. Guida, Chair, Council on Elementary and Secondary Education • Pierre LaPerriere, Vice President and Director of Human Resources, Gilbane, Inc. • Valerie Lawson, East Providence Teacher and Vice President, National Education Association of Rhode Island • Robert O'Brien, Superintendent, Smithfield Public Schools • Patricia Page, Co-Chair, East Greenwich Teacher and 2014 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year • Rick M. Quiles, Pediatrician, Park Pediatrics, Cranston • Julian Santiago, Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School, Providence, Class of 2014 • Carolyn Sheehan, Director, Blackstone Academy • Alan J. Tenreiro, Principal, Cumberland High School
To view a copy of the report Pathways to Understanding, Supporting, and Increasing Educator Autonomy in Rhode Island, click link below. For more information on the report, contact Elliot Krieger, Office of the Commissioner, R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, (401) 222-8471 or Elliot.Krieger@ride.ri.gov.