Transformational Learning Opportunities:

Virtual & Online Schooling:

• Rhode Island currently lacks a statewide virtual school and hosts only one multi-district virtual learning school: Connections Academy. Online learning opportunities are restricted within the state, as the primary emphasis is placed on blended learning opportunities.

• Bristol Warren Regional School District is a member of Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools. The League of Innovative Schools is a national network of school leaders in 150 districts in 38 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.

Digital Learning Resources:

• Rhode Island’s Department of Education offers multiple digital learning resources and initiatives to support virtual learning. One of the most notable initiatives, Computer Science for Rhode Island (CS4RI), works to promote computer science in every school. 

• Curious about your district’s internet access? ConnectK-12 provides state- and district-specific information on access to the recommended bandwidth speeds and monthly internet costs.

Career & Technical and/or Work-based Education:

• CTE programs are free and accessible across districts. Students can participate in work-based learning and can earn industry-recognized credentials alongside their high school diploma.

• In 2020, Rhode Island secured a $10.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models Funding. The grant expanded Rhode Island's Advanced Course Network, providing free courses for college credit or industry credentials, augmenting online materials, and enhancing Readiness courses to address student skill gaps. Furthermore, the grant supported the placement of additional school counselors in high-poverty schools, employed part-time parent and student ambassadors, and facilitated the development of an online platform for families to access statewide course options.

Personalized, Competency- and/or Mastery-based Learning:

• Rhode Island stands as a trailblazer in statewide personalized learning expansion through comprehensive policies. These policies mandate that every middle and high school in the state must devise strategies for personalized learning and formulate Individual Learning Plans for each student. Furthermore, new diploma prerequisites demand students to effectively pass a performance-based diploma assessment.

• Rhode Island's statewide EduvateRI was launched in 2016 by the state’s Office of Innovation. They work with state and local partners to expand personalized learning into public schools across the state and prepare students for their future. The state also adopted learner profiles for students, where teachers create a plan for their students to close learning gaps, and support their individual needs in the classroom. 

Innovation Schools, Zones, and/or Districts:

• To increase flexibility, The School and Family Empowerment Act gives power to local districts and teachers to create Empowerment Schools. Empowerment schools allow for unprecedented freedom to redesign education and give every student the opportunity to receive high- quality, personalized education.

• Rhode Island is a member of the New England Secondary School Consortium, which alongside New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont, supports local innovation in the design and implementation of high school redesign, among other resources.