2008 Woodie Awards
URI-Central Falls partnership nets $175,000 from R.I. Foundation
Tyler Will
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News
02/21/08 - The Rhode Island Foundation has given the University of Rhode Island a $175,000 grant to fund the first year of its partnership with Central Falls High School, a struggling school in Providence.
"It's a great pilot program," said Melanie Coon, the vice president for communications and marketing at the foundation. "We're hoping as a result of this program, other schools might benefit from what we learn in Central Falls."
URI President Robert L. Carothers said the foundation has also pledged $850,000 to the partnership over the next three years. Carothers said a total of $1.3 million in grants from RIF and the state Department of Education would go into the partnership, in addition to computer donations from IBM.
Coon said the grants from RIF were based on budget requests the organization received from the partnership. The funding will be used to boost standardized test scores, graduation rates and academic performance over the next four years, a target selected by a partnership planning committee.
Frances Gallo, the superintendent of the Central Falls School District, said the partnership has potential for success.
"Success in any partnership needs a strong collective will, a nurturing environment and clear goals or objectives based on measurable data," Gallo said. "The URI-Central Falls partnership is proving itself to be formidable in each of those areas."
Carothers said the foundation gave $50,000 to plan the partnership, and that plan was completed.
"The plan that had to be submitted by the school got approved by the Board of Regents," Carothers said. "We were the first urban school to get that. That was a big step."
Central Falls High School Principal Mario Andrade, who has held his position since July, said there is a lot of collaboration between URI and Central Falls.
"It's excellent," he said. "We're already seeing some increase on professional development on behalf of the teachers', short term goals being accomplished."
"It's a great pilot program," said Melanie Coon, the vice president for communications and marketing at the foundation. "We're hoping as a result of this program, other schools might benefit from what we learn in Central Falls."
URI President Robert L. Carothers said the foundation has also pledged $850,000 to the partnership over the next three years. Carothers said a total of $1.3 million in grants from RIF and the state Department of Education would go into the partnership, in addition to computer donations from IBM.
Coon said the grants from RIF were based on budget requests the organization received from the partnership. The funding will be used to boost standardized test scores, graduation rates and academic performance over the next four years, a target selected by a partnership planning committee.
Frances Gallo, the superintendent of the Central Falls School District, said the partnership has potential for success.
"Success in any partnership needs a strong collective will, a nurturing environment and clear goals or objectives based on measurable data," Gallo said. "The URI-Central Falls partnership is proving itself to be formidable in each of those areas."
Carothers said the foundation gave $50,000 to plan the partnership, and that plan was completed.
"The plan that had to be submitted by the school got approved by the Board of Regents," Carothers said. "We were the first urban school to get that. That was a big step."
Central Falls High School Principal Mario Andrade, who has held his position since July, said there is a lot of collaboration between URI and Central Falls.
"It's excellent," he said. "We're already seeing some increase on professional development on behalf of the teachers', short term goals being accomplished."