Community Listening Sessions
The Providence School Board hosted a series of community listening sessions to better understand the community's vision for youth in Providence. The input assisted the board in creating Student Centered Goals that will guide the district’s strategic plan.
After synthesizing the notes and data from their 19 community listening sessions during The People’s Plan Campaign, the PPSD School Board with guidance from our student outcomes focused coaches at the Council of Great City Schools, found these common themes in the community’s voice for their visions and values:
- Academic competence / Literacy- 20-25%
- College and Career Readiness- 15-20%
- Life and Employability Skills- 10-15%
- Social Emotional Well-being and resilience- 8-12%
- Citizenship & Community Contribution- 8-10 %
Learn about the feedback received during the listening sessions here. Learn more about the People Plan initiative here.
Our Commitment
Providence families, students, and educators have been clear: student success must be at the center of everything we do. Together, we are building a school system where every student learns to read and do math on grade level, grows socially and emotionally, feels safe and supported, and graduates prepared for life, work, and active citizenship.
Draft Vision
Guided by empathy and justice, PPSD students graduate as confident, capable, and compassionate changemakers who think critically, lead boldly, and solve complex issues that strengthen themselves and their communities.
Draft Student Outcome Goals (2025-2030)
- Early Literacy:Increase the percentage of 3rd-grade students reading on grade level from 24% to 50%.
- Elementary Math: Increase the percentage of 4th-grade students proficient in math from 23.6% to 45%
- Middle School Literacy: Increase the percentage of 8th-grade students reading on grade level from 15.8% to 30%.
- Career-Ready Graduates: Increase the percentage of graduates who earn an industry-recognized credential from 14.9% to 25%.
- Civic & Global Readiness: Ensure 70% of graduates demonstrate skills in leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and community/civic engagement (based on the Portrait of a Graduate Rubric).
Draft Guardrails
To reach these goals, the district will elevate values of academic excellence, community voice, student safety and justice by honoring the following guardrails:
- The Superintendent shall not allow educators or leaders not meeting performance standards to serve in schools identified as CSI or redesign.
- The Superintendent shall not implement significant changes without first engaging community members most closely impacted by those changes.
- The Superintendent shall not allow learning environments - school policy or practices - where students feel unsafe, unsupported physically, emotionally, or culturally.
- The Superintendent shall not make decisions that have a disproportionately negative impact on students furthest from educational justice.
What Comes Next
These goals will shape the district’s strategic plan. We invite continued feedback from students, families, staff, and community members as we finalize this work by the end of the year.
Listening Sessions
Engagement Tools
Online survey for those who can’t attend in person
Who Should Attend & Why
This is a time for all of us to come together: students, families, educators, and community members. We invite you to be part of this work as active partners in shaping the future of our schools. The People’s Plan is built on real voices and real experiences. It values youth leadership and includes student voices in every step. We recognize the lived experiences of our community and believe those insights are key to creating lasting change. No matter your role, your voice matters and belongs in this process.
Interpretation & Translation services
All sessions will have materials available in English and Spanish. If you require translation/interpretation in another language, please contact Carina Pinto De Chacon directly at least one week before the session. Be sure to include the session location, date, time, and language needed so the appropriate materials and support can be prepared.
Childcare & Youth Activities
All recreation centers, including the Elmwood Community Center, will offer child-friendly support for any adult attending with children. Kids will be engaged in age-appropriate, child-friendly activities, allowing adults to participate fully in the session.
Session Structure
Timeline
What Happens With Your Input:
We know that sharing your time and thoughts with us takes effort—and we also understand how frustrating it can feel when it seems like your voice isn’t being heard.
That’s why the School Board is committed to truly listening. During our Community Listening Sessions, board members—trained by the Council of Great City Schools—will take detailed notes to capture your exact words, not just our interpretation.
After each session, we’ll post a full transcript on this webpage so you can see what was shared.
In September, we’ll review all the feedback from our 15 Listening Sessions to find common themes. These insights will help shape two important parts of our next strategic plan: our Goals and Guardrails.
Before anything is final, we’ll share a draft of the Goals and Guardrails with the community in November and ask for your feedback once again. Our goal is to finalize the plan by the end of the year.
Thank you for being part of this important work. Your voice matters.
Updates
*To receive alerts regarding progress with The People's Plan and for info about future feedback sessions, please fill out the registration form to be added to our outreach list, even if you aren’t attending an in person session.
Trust and Transparency
The Providence School Board believes trust is built through honesty, follow-through, and shared leadership. The People’s Plan will not only exist as a document. It will be a commitment to listening, taking action, and keeping the community informed. Our community deserves to know what we are working on, how we are doing it, and who is involved. This process is rooted in openness every step of the way. This plan will help guide the School Board’s goals and priorities, but not every idea may be implemented right away. Still, every idea will be heard, considered, and valued. We are committed to doing this work with integrity and accountability to the people we serve. Meet the Leaders Driving This Work:
