Rhode Island Education Commissioner Peter McWalters outlined plans to improve Providence's troubled Hope High School in a ruling issued Friday, ending a deliberation process that began with a five-day series of public hearings in mid-December.
While the decision - which includes an order of reconstitution and a "Consolidated Corrective Action Plan" - features a vast array of internal changes at Hope, McWalters opted not to close down the school or assume control of its daily operations.
"This school is staying under the jurisdiction of the Providence School Department," McWalters said. "I don't want any misunderstanding about this."
Several community leaders and local politicians have called for the closing of Hope in recent weeks, including Ward 7 City Councilman John Igliozzi and the Providence Educational Excellence Coalition, with members from several Rhode Island youth and faith-based organizations.
Instead, McWalters' decision calls for the installation of a "special master" to supervise improvement efforts and ensure implementation of the corrective action plan. The "special master" will be obligated to report back to McWalters, though the position does not have any decision-making authority. The role has yet to be filled - McWalters said he will have someone from outside of the state in the position by March 1.
The decision also orders the creation of a teacher-review committee that will evaluate about 100 faculty members, according to McWalters' objectives. Teachers must submit letters stating their approval of the 19 educational objectives in the plan by Feb. 18. The committee will review each letter and make a recommendation to District Superintendent Melody Johnson on whether the teacher should be allowed to continue working at Hope in the fall.
The committee will not take into account teachers' prior performance but will instead emphasize their commitment to future improvements at Hope.
"We are not in a position" to evaluate previous classroom performance, McWalters said.
According to the plan, Hope will retain its current structure, which contains three small learning communities within the school. Each community - centered on the themes of leadership, arts and technology - holds about 400 students. These communities will be granted control over budgetary and hiring decisions.
An additional administrator will also be hired to work in conjunction with learning community directors, a position the plan states is "essential" for smooth operation of three distinct schools on one campus. When the communities were first established in September 2003, this fourth administrator "could not be found," the decision reads.
The plan also outlines steps to address Hope's dropout rate, which at 52 percent is the highest among Providence high schools. Beginning in the fall, entering ninth graders will enroll in "ninth grade academies," each headed by an assistant director and a group of faculty members. These academies are intended to facilitate teacher-student advising and increase personalization, thereby starting each student down a four-year educational path.
The ruling received mixed reviews from those who attended Friday's press conference, a reaction McWalters said he was anticipating.
"Some people are going to say I didn't go far enough. Other people are going to say I went too far," he said.
Many of the elements required to improve Hope "were already on the table at both at the school level and the state office," he said. "If not, we would have had to be more dramatic."
The role of a "special master" drew concern from both school officials and community leaders.
Johnson told The Herald she feared this role had been "positioned as an adversary, sort of like a big brother-type thing."
However, the concept of a "special master" is not unique to Providence, and Johnson said she has had positive experiences with people in similar roles while working for other districts.
The position "serves as an advocate for all the employees in the building" and allows involved parties to effectively "express their concerns and frustrations," she said.
"I'm hoping we can regroup (the position) around that," she said.
But Mary Sylvia Harrison, president of the Rhode Island Children's Crusade, who has previously served as spokesperson for the Providence Educational Excellence Coalition, told The Herald she questioned what tangible impact this position will have on the school's daily operations.
"As I understand it, there is an authority retained by Commissioner McWalters," she said. "What's the consequence? The jury's still out" as to whether someone in this position can make a difference, she said.
But Harrison said she is "pleased" McWalters approved the hiring of an independent party to oversee implementation of the plan, adding she is "optimistic" that McWalters' decision will set positive change in motion.
Johnson expressed concerns as to how the plan will be thoroughly implemented given the school's "huge budget shortfall" and general lack of resources.
"So far, the government and the legislature have not stepped up to the plate" to address these budgetary issues, she said.
Alykhan Karim '06, who founded Students Teaching Students last year to organize tutoring efforts at Hope, echoed Johnson's concerns.
"From our experiences there, what we noticed was a huge lack of funding," he said.
The school was dependent on volunteer groups such as Students Teaching Students to coordinate many extracurricular programs, including recreational activities, SAT workshops and college preparatory programs, Karim said.
"I was hoping that if anything, there would be some more funds allocated to Hope," he said.
Karim expressed ambivalence regarding McWalters' decision, saying "it really doesn't sound like they're doing that much."
But Karim said he approved of McWalters' decision to retain Hope's current structure, saying the school's closure would have been traumatic for students currently enrolled and may have contributed to higher dropout rates.
Igliozzi told The Herald he hoped the decision would be "the watershed event to get the entire Providence school system functioning correctly."
Igliozzi had previously floated a proposal calling for the city to demolish Hope's current building and sell its 18 acres of surrounding property, thereby allowing the creation of three small charter schools linked in public-private partnerships with Brown, Johnson and Wales University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
But his proposal received a lukewarm response from the three private institutions, and McWalters' plan effectively ruled out the demolition of Hope.
During the question-and-answer session following the Spring Semester Opening Address Tuesday night, President Ruth Simmons said she was skeptical of Igliozzi's proposal, calling it "more of an idea than a plan" and doubting the University's ability to effectively enact improvements.
"The thing that concerns me most about people with ideas of how to reform the school is that they don't understand that, fundamentally, bringing in outsiders to run the school is not the answer," she said. "A lot of people believe it's easy to run a school. It isn't."
Igliozzi expressed disappointment that private institutions would not "start taking the lead to create different types of opportunities and come up with different solutions."
But he said he hoped McWalters' decision will move the school in a "positive direction," calling Hope "the bellwether for the entire Providence school system" that may serve as a model for reform at other area high schools.
Though the plan may spark initial gains for Hope, Johnson said she believes turning the school around may require "a five- to ten- year process."
Educational leaders need to be willing to commit "time and continued investment" to reach the desired results, she said.
