Rhode Island’s achievement gap is largely hidden.  At first glance, the student achievement statistics do not seem particularly shocking. For example, Rhode Island has a 75% high school graduation rate, above the national average.  But when you look below the surface, you find a 22-point difference between the graduation rate of high-income students (85%) and low-income students (63%). The goal of Teach For America • Rhode Island is to identify why this gap exists and to help close it.

One of Rhode Island’s greatest assets is the sense of community.  It seems that everyone knows each other, so there is an incredible motivation to improve the area, and we are fortunate that Teach For America corps members were welcomed with open arms when we first arrived in 2010. The induction for our first class of corps members was attended by the Superintendent of Providence Public Schools, State Education Commissioner and leaders from several community-based organizations. We are also fortunate to have a base of about 70 alumni who remain involved with Teach For America, host social activities and professional development events for the corps members.

As a result, our charter corps was extremely involved in the community, through volunteering, choir membership and other programs. In our second year in Rhode Island, we are excited to bring 30 new corps members into the fold and continue to set high expectations in the classroom while becoming part of the fabric of the region.