RI Foundation first grants under new leadership to increase number of teachers of color
The Rhode Island Foundation today announced it has awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants to improve student performance in Providence, Pawtucket, Newport and Central Falls. The funding will support work to increase the number of teacher s of color in urban school districts. “Diversifying the teacher workforce in pursuit of the educational success of students is a strategy that works. These important investments will help address achievement gaps in urban districts by advancing programs designed to attract and support teachers of color,” said David N. Cicilline, president and CEO of the Foundation. Research has shown benefits, particularly for students of color , when students are matched with a teacher of their same race. Low-income Black students, for example, who have at least one Black teacher in elementary school are 29% less likely to drop out of high school, according to a Johns Hopkins report. In the most recent RICAS resu...