Sometime next week, Rhode Island Education Commissioner Peter McWalters will decide whether state intervention is necessary to improve conditions at Providence's troubled Hope High School, ending a deliberation process that began with a five-day series of public hearings in mid-December.
McWalters has said he will choose between taking over the school or allowing the Providence School Department to continue its internal improvements, which have recently drawn criticism from community leaders for yielding lackluster results.
According to Elliott Krieger, a spokesperson for the state education department, concern over low test scores, a high dropout rate and a high rate of suspensions prompted McWalters to issue an order of reconstitution last July mandating that the district submit a "corrective action" plan.
In that order, McWalters said he would convene a hearing to decide whether to accept the district's original plan, propose a modified version of the plan or begin state intervention.
Should the state intervene, Hope might be replaced with a group of smaller, independent schools, an approach several community leaders have supported.
Krieger told The Herald last week that McWalters would announce his decision Thursday evening. But the ruling has since been delayed, he said Wednesday.
At a public hearing Dec. 15, the Providence Educational Excellence Coalition recommended McWalters shut down the school, which consistently tests well below state and national standards and has the highest dropout rate among Providence high schools - 52 percent.
The coalition features members from a variety of local youth and faith-based organizations, including representatives from the Rhode Island Children's Crusade, the Federal Hill House community center and the Urban League of Rhode Island. The coalition received six years of funding in 2002 from the Schools for a New Society Initiative, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The coalition spent two years researching conditions at Hope and sponsoring events meant to engage parents and students in the area, according to Mary Sylvia Harrison, president of the Rhode Island Children's Crusade. Such activities included "kitchen talks" with neighborhood parents and community-wide discussion circles. This research culminated in a January 2004 summary of the group's findings, which stressed the need for improved quality of instruction, fostering a healthier school "culture" and reviewing the current curriculum, Harrison said.
At the Dec. 15 hearing, the coalition presented a set of recommendations to McWalters that included the closure and restructuring of Hope and the hiring of an "independent master to objectively guide all the players" involved, Harrison said.
The construction of small schools could be "a good strategy" so long as they generate more "personalization" among teachers, students and parents, she said.
Though the Providence School District has made attempts in recent years to address Hope's problems internally, Harrison said the coalition has "no confidence" that these efforts will lead to tangible improvements.
"The system has failed," said Dennis DeJesus, executive director of the Federal Hill House and a coalition member. Despite the district's attempts, DeJesus said the percentage of students who have attained reading and math proficiency remains in single digits, a fact "that's just not acceptable."
DeJesus said he hopes McWalters heeds the coalition's advice in making his decision, though "he hasn't tipped his hand either way."
The coalition is one of several groups to submit recommendations to McWalters, according to district superintendent Melody Johnson, who said she has worked closely with McWalters during the deliberation process. McWalters' final decision will take all of these recommendations into consideration, she said.
Johnson commended the coalition's efforts to include parents and students in the decision-making process, calling the group "a voice that needs to be heard."
The policy debate surrounding Hope has undergone intense scrutiny from local politicians and community leaders who believe attempts to repair the system may serve as a "bellwether" that can be applied to other schools, said Ward 7 City Councilman John Igliozzi.
Though Hope currently has the highest dropout rate among Providence high schools, Igliozzi said the school "is the rule and not the exception" in the district. Central High School, for instance, has a dropout rate of 49 percent.
Johnson said she believes too much attention from area leaders can hinder the school's progress.
"They have to live under a microscope," she said. "Everything that happens there is done publicly."
Despite this pressure, Johnson said Hope has made recent gains in academic performance. The school met every performance target for English and language arts in 2004, just two years after failing to meet any of these goals, she said.
Though the school has a history of low achievement, there are also positive elements at Hope, DeJesus said.
"The sad thing is that there are a number of very good teachers and administrators," he said. "Is it 100 percent? Probably not."
Alykhan Karim '06, who founded Students Teaching Students last year to organize tutoring efforts at Hope, said there is a "lack of motivation" among some faculty members. But the district also suffers from a lack of "manpower, time and resources," he said.
Harrison said she believes McWalters "may be at the point of realizing" that a "disinterested party" is necessary to oversee Hope's improvement efforts.
Whatever his decision, Johnson said she is optimistic McWalters' ruling will lead to significant gains for the school.
"I hope we can put the last 15 or 20 years of turmoil ... to rest," she said.
