Turning Hope into Results: The Policy Ecosystem of the Providence Public Schools District

Catalog description

The Providence Public School District (PPSD) serves approximately 22,000 students and their families. This course will examine the policy ecosystem around the district, which-as a result of a 2019 review-is currently undergoing transformational change to provide students with the world-class education they deserve. This course will build students’ knowledge of PPSD’s history and organizational context. Students will also learn to analyze the district’s policy environment while considering the voices of relevant community members. In order to do this, students will learn the national context for specific topic areas such as teacher policy, curriculum and instruction, family engagement, and school culture. As a Community-Based Learning and Research course, students will be involved in both community collaborations and course assignments that will encourage reflection on the relationship between their classroom learning and their role and experiences working with a community partner.