Raimondo Announces Partnership To Redesign RI Education

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced Thursday that the state will be partnering with the organization XQ to reimagine the approach to high school education.

The goal of the partnership is to create "student-centered schools" through the XQ+RI: Rhode Island's XQ Challenge. Challenge teams will work with communities to reach the goal of creating schools that help all students succeed.

XQ will offer grants of $500,000 each for successful redesign plans.

"Rhode Island high schools are doing some truly exciting work, with a record number of students taking advantage of advanced coursework, early college, and hands-on learning opportunities. More must be done, however, to ensure that every student accesses these opportunities and graduates prepared for college and career," Gov. Raimondo said in a release. "XQ chose to do its first-ever statewide partnership with Rhode Island because they see tremendous potential here, and with their support and experience, we will be able to scale up best practices so that we can make high school more challenging, engaging, and relevant than ever before."

Both Gov. Raimondo and Rhode Island's Education Commissioner called for a new approach to education in the 21st Century.

"The industrial model of education, where we talk at students sitting neatly in rows, is disconnected from the realities of a 21st century economy. Increasingly, our schools, and high schools, in particular, are finding ways to better align what students are learning in the classroom to the skills and experiences they need to be ready for college and career," Wagner said. "There is really good work happening in our high schools and with XQ's help, we can think bigger and move faster."

In the spring, teams will hold XQ+RI Design Days, where communities can learn more about taking part in the challenge process. Rhode Island is XQ's first statewide partnership.

"I'm thrilled that Rhode Island has captured the attention and imagination of this national movement to improve the high school experience. Building pathways to postsecondary education and rewarding careers for all students is a critical piece of our long-term strategy for education, and the XQ Design Process will make those pathways stronger and more responsive to the needs and interests of our students," said Barbara S. Cottam, chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education.

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