October 5, 2010
Rhode Island Foundation supports Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals with $200,000 partial match to secure $5 million federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant
 |
| At the October 5 announcement (l to r): Commissioner Deborah A. Gist (RIDE), David M. Hirsch (chair, RIF), Colleen Callahan (RIFTHP), Neil Steinberg (president/CEO, RIF), Marcia Reback (president, RIFTHP), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Denise Jenkins (RIF), Charleen Christy (Pawtucket Teachers Alliance) | Citing The Rhode Island Foundation’s ongoing strong support of public education, President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg announced today that the Foundation had committed $200,000 over four years as a partial match to the $5 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant recently awarded to the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the New York United Teachers (NYSUT) to develop a model for educator evaluation in each state.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced the i3 winners on August 13, 2010. The AFT, RIFTHP and NYSUT submitted a joint application and will share the $5 million award to support their shared and state specific efforts. DOE required grantees to secure a 20 percent match in order to receive the i3 grants.
As part of its support of the i3 grant, the Foundation encouraged RIFTHP to work with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) on the educator evaluation effort. As a result, RIFTHP and RIDE have begun productive conversations toward merging their developmental work around a common, rigorous educator evaluation system. The organizations have so far agreed that they are committed to developing a unified approach to professional growth and support as well as the process undergirding the evaluation, and they are committed to identifying a common methodology and approach to these areas. They have also agreed to work together to plan professional development and implementation support.
“We’re delighted that our matching grant helped RIFTHP to secure the i3 grant, and spurred a collaborative effort to develop a unified model for educator evaluation,” said Steinberg. “Supporting teacher professional development and improving student achievement are critical to our state’s future. This project will leverage federal, state, and private investments, as well as the talent, expertise, and on-the ground experience of RIFTHP and RIDE leadership, to accomplish these critical goals.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, on hand for the announcement at The Rhode Island Foundation, noted, “This announcement marks another step forward in the ongoing cooperation between teachers unions, state and local government, and school reform advocates, which began during the application process for the Race to the Top program. This funding will help our schools determine the best model for teacher evaluation to better serve Rhode Island’s children. I commend the Rhode Island Foundation for providing matching funds to make this possible, and I encourage you to continue working together to provide our children with the best possible education.”
“We are grateful to the Rhode Island Foundation for recognizing the importance of our work with this very generous award,” said RIFTHP President Marcia Reback. “The RIFTHP Innovation effort is based on collaborative work with our district administrator and union partners. We believe such collaboration between labor and management is key to ensuring the successful design and implementation of the high quality educator evaluation system we envision. We are encouraged by our work with RIDE and look forward to the Rhode Island Foundation’s help in moving us forward.” She added, “We have no interest in incompetent teachers being in our classrooms and a rigorous evaluation and support system is a step in making sure that our profession is safeguarded.”
“I am very pleased that the Department of Education and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers are working in partnership to develop the Rhode Island Model for educator evaluation,” said Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “We share a commitment to creating a system that will provide professional growth and support for teachers and school leaders, that will be transparent and consistent, and that will advance student achievement. By sharing our talents, ideas, and resources, I am confident that we can build an evaluation system that will ensure that we have effective teachers in every classroom in Rhode Island for years to come.”
The i3 fund, part of the historic $10 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support local efforts to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for high-need students. Applicants were required to demonstrate their previous success in closing achievement gaps, improving student progress toward proficiency, increasing graduation rates, or recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and principals. Only 49 projects from among nearly 1,700 applicants were chosen for $650 million in i3 grants.
District partners working to create a comprehensive model for educator evaluation as part of this agreement are Central Falls, Cranston, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick and Woonsocket.
|