2022 -- H 7614

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LC004375

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE RHODE ISLAND URBAN EDUCATION ACT OF 1998

     Introduced By: Representatives Williams, Amore, Hull, Morales, Biah, Cassar, Alzate,
Giraldo, Tobon, and Batista

     Date Introduced: March 02, 2022

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. The title of Chapter 16-82 of the General Laws entitled "The Rhode Island

Urban Education Act of 1998" is hereby amended to read as follows:

CHAPTER 16-82

The Rhode Island Urban Education Act of 1998

CHAPTER 16-82

THE RHODE ISLAND URBAN EDUCATION AND STUDENT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

ACT OF 2022

     SECTION 2. Section 16-82-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-82 entitled "The Rhode

Island Urban Education Act of 1998" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-82-3. Definitions.

     For the purposes of this chapter, "urban communities" means those communities identified

to receive targeted aid in § 16-7.1-16. In addition, for purposes of the mentorship program

established pursuant to this chapter, the term “urban communities” shall at a minimum include the

cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, and Newport.

     SECTION 3. Chapter 16-82 of the General Laws entitled "The Rhode Island Urban

Education Act of 1998" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     16-82-7. Urban education student mentorship program - Initial funding.

     (a) Findings.

     (1) In 2016, and again in 2019, the United States Department of Education (the

“Department”) reported that education can only be a great equalizer and be a force that can

overcome differences in privilege and background, when students are in school every day and

receive the supports they need to learn and thrive.

     (2) In the same report, the Department found many students experience tremendous

adversity in their lives, including poverty, health challenges, community violence, and difficult

family circumstances, that make it difficult for them to take advantage of the opportunity to learn

at school.

     (3) The Department also found in that report that students who are chronically absent,

meaning they miss at least fifteen (15) days of school in a year, are at serious risk of falling behind

in school.

     (4) The Department’s report also cited studies which suggest chronic absenteeism may

prevent children from reaching early learning milestones, that irregular attendance can be a better

predictor than test scores of whether a student will drop out before graduation, and that frequent

absences can shape adulthood.

     (5) A study published in the 2019 Journal of Urban Education by Professor Michael A.

Gottfried found that chronic absenteeism in urban schools contributed to negative academic

outcomes in math and reading, not only for the chronically absent students but also for classmates

of those students who are not chronically absent. These effects include, but are not limited to,

negative spillover effects, such as:

     (i) Chronically absent students often displayed behavioral disruptions upon their return to

the classroom, resulting in teachers devoting more time and resources to classroom management

than instruction; and

     (ii) There can be congestion effects on a teacher’s time and resources to address what a

chronically absent student has missed or lost academically, and teacher time spent on this effort

may not benefit other students who are not chronically absent

     (6) This same study noted that students in urban districts face an array of challenges

including lower financial resources, lower parental involvement, higher odds of high school

dropout, greater health challenges, and fewer academic and social support systems, which

contribute to high rates of chronic absenteeism in urban schools.

     (7) The situation, though serious, is not irreparably broken. A study published in 2021 in

the Journal of Urban Learning Teaching and Research by educators Judy Jackson May, Diane

Conway, and Andrea Guice suggests that spending money alone is not as important and impactful

on student success and reducing chronic absenteeism as other interventions.

     (8) The 2021 study suggested that a genuine difference maker for student success and

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reducing chronic absenteeism in high poverty urban schools is the use of mentors, not only with

teachers but also with persons outside the school building. Some of the reasons for the success of

mentorship programs is that that mentors bring communal bonds, shared culture, and a commitment

to student success.

     (9) This research suggest that mentoring is a practical, sustainable, and relatively low-cost

intervention to reduce chronic student absenteeism.

     (b) The department of elementary and secondary education (the “department”) shall

commence to plan and implement the urban student mentorship program. The focus of this program

shall be to provide students in urban communities with mentors and tutors to assist them in their

academic work, and also to help create learning environments where students want to attend and

learn in school. In developing the program, the department shall conduct a review of best practices

for the selection and use of mentors and tutors in the program. The department shall utilize those

practices as guides in formulating and implementing the program.

     (b) The department may promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of

the program.

     (c) The general assembly shall, out of any monies not already appropriated, appropriate the

sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for the 2022-2023 school year to initially fund the

program.

     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE RHODE ISLAND URBAN EDUCATION ACT OF 1998

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     This act would establish the urban student mentorship program for the purposes of reducing

chronic absenteeism and promoting better academic outcomes for student in urban communities.

The act would authorize an appropriation of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) to initially fund the

program.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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