The University of Rhode Island’s first Education Summit to examine the investments and barriers in public education will bring together educational and political leaders from across the state to discuss pre-school to doctoral education, finance and economic policy in an effort to increase the opportunities for student success in the classroom, in school districts, and universities. The summit will be held Sept. 24 to 26 at the Providence Campus and is open to the public for free.

Competing economic analyses have prompted generalizations about financial and human resource practices aimed to improve educational outcomes.  

“Such generalizations suggest the need to improve administrative policies, classroom and curriculum content, fiscal and physical capacity, and teacher characteristics,” said R. Anthony Rolle, dean of URI’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies.

 History has shown that even in the face of increased litigation, state legislatures are slow to apply research findings, and to revise school funding formulas and accountability systems that will adequately provide for the basic needs of widely varying schools and districts. 

 Too often, funding is not structured to ensure all students have access to effective educational services.

 “The situation might improve significantly if policymakers at state and district levels would use reliable research findings that strongly suggest links between student achievement and school finance policies,” said Rolle.

He added that researchers can help empower policymakers to generate maximum benefit from their budgets by continuing to study relationships between finance and outcomes. 

The Summit’s sessions and presentation schedule are: 

Tuesday, Sept. 24 – Investments in Public Education

Moderator: Margie O’Brien, host of RI Capitol TV

12:30-4 p.m.

Rhode Island’s executive leadership will discuss investment for student success, lifelong learning, a rewarding career and meaningful participation in civic life.

Wednesday, Sept. 25 –Measuring the Return on K-12 Educational Investments

Moderator: Dan McGowan, reporter, Boston Globe

1:30-4 p.m.

Leadership and stakeholders of K-12 education will discuss investing in learning outcomes for all students and teacher effectiveness.

URI special topic presentations:

The State of Dyslexia- Legislation and Current Controversies (Professor Theresa Deeney)

Evaluation of English Language Learner Programs (Instructor Amy Correia)

STEM Education Scale and Sustainability (Asst. Professor Sara Sweetman) 

Thursday, Sept. 26 – Re-visioning Higher Education Investments for a New Economy

Moderator: Scott MacKay, political analyst, RI NPR

1:30-4 p.m.

Representatives of the three state public institutions of higher education will discuss their efforts, challenges and successes in investing in student expectations for employment.

URI special topic presentations:

College Student Personnel Program (Professor Annemarie Vaccaro)

The “I” Generation: Changing Student Demographics and the Impact on the Future of Education (Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Dean Libutti)

All events are free and open to the public. Register at web.uri.edu/education/education-summit-2019

Registration is suggested by Sept. 13.