Providence mayor announces summit to rethink education

PROVIDENCE — Mayor Jorge Elorza announced Thursday that he was launching an education "moon shot" summit to bring together all members of the Providence community to rethink public education in the capital city.

Elorza underlined his commitment to spend more on education, a budget item that has been level-funded for the past six years. The Providence public schools are facing estimated budget shortfalls reaching $57 million in 2020, according to an analysis released by the city last week.      

The forum, to be held April 8, is being financed with a $200,000 grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, whose mission is to encourage deep-rooted reforms in public education in New England. The summit hopes to draw participants from beyond the traditional education sector whose voices aren't always heard. 

"In the 1960s, people were inspired to achieve the moon landing," Elorza told the crowd at E-Cubed Academy. "Our moonshot today is about public education. It's the right time to engage the entire community to become the highest-performing district in the entire country. It's possible if we bring in every parent and student to be part of this initiative." 

The summit builds upon the city's work as part of the "By All Means" initiative based at the Harvard Education Redesign Lab, which is working with six cities to rethink education and child development services. The other cities are: Louisville, Kentucky; Oakland, California; Salem, Somerville and Newton, Massachusetts.

Paul Reville, director of the Education Redesign Lab, said he selected Providence to be part of reform efforts because Elorza has a "far-sighted vision" and Providence already has a track record of work in early childhood education, after-school programming and making learning more personal.

"We hope to learn a lot from what you're doing," he told the mayor. 

Joy Njoku said at the announcement that she is pleased that the city is recognizing the importance of including student voices in this conversation.

"I grew up in a country where education wasn't well-regarded," she said. Coming to the United States, she said, has helped her see that the possibilities afforded by a good education are endless.    

City Council President Luis Aponte said, "We all need to ask, 'Are we meeting our kids where they are?' The stakes are high, not just for Providence but the world. We urge you to be part of this conversation. Let history say, 'You took a stand.' "

A pre-summit forum including community leaders, city and school department staff will be held Feb. 2 at 444 Westminster St. to help shape the direction of the spring summit.

lborg@providencejournal.com

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