Did you know that getting a child into an elementary school in Providence is a complete crap shoot? Whether it's getting into an awesome Charter school or the worst of the public schools, it's done based on lottery and not by location or merit. I really don't understand how education came to be cultivated in this way, but it's pretty broken. Not that all students shouldn't be given a chance to achieve, but the way the current system is, without required pre-K or full-day kindergarten, students are thrown together in first grade, a large portion not understanding the basics of reading or mathematics, even speaking English, let alone social skills.
I found this out from talking with my boss about trying to get her 3-year-old into kindergarten soon, and how much of a challenge finding a decent public school in Providence is. I knew this about the high schools, in particular Hope High School, which has some of the lowest test scores and passing rates in the state and is ironically down the block from the Brown University campus. I did not realize how poorly the elementary schools are organized, which should have occurred to me, as education is cumulative. Being surrounded by professors that live on the East Side and send their children to expensive private prep schools, however, has shifted my understanding of elementary school learning in the area. I think it is important that at the very least, we fund full-day kindergarten, and understand why the state is spending so much money per student on a failing education system.
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