Annenberg Institute Report Affirms RIDE’s Commitment to Professional Learning and High-Quality Instructional Materials to Promote Greater Academic Achievement

Annenberg Institute Report Affirms RIDE's Commitment to Professional Learning and High-Quality Instructional Materials to Promote Greater Academic Achievement

Published on Tuesday, October 07, 2025

PROVIDENCE, RI - A recently released report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University affirms the Rhode Island Department of Education's (RIDE) commitment to supporting educators through investments in professional learning and high-quality instructional materials. The report, Investing in Growth: A Roadmap for Advancing Teacher Professional Learning in Rhode Island, highlights the state's leadership in supporting professional learning for educators to improve student academic achievement.

"Expanding access to professional learning for educators is a vital part of Rhode Island's strategy to ensure high-quality instruction and learning in every classroom," said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. "In alignment with Governor McKee's focus and commitment to improving education, RIDE is proud of the progress we're making with our partners to support and empower educators through expanded development opportunities and greater access to high-quality instructional materials. The recent report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University provides thoughtful recommendations while recognizing the value of collaboration and the positive impact of investing in professional learning for educators."

Key findings from the report, which was released earlier this week, include:

• RIDE's implementation of the Right to Read Act and curriculum legislation has driven statewide instructional reform, requiring districts to adopt high-quality curriculum materials and provide targeted professional learning aligned with the science of reading.
• Through initiatives like the Instructional Coaching Corps and the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant, RIDE has made strategic investments funding dozens of coaching positions and provided statewide training to strengthen instructional practice.
• With the support of RIDE, nearly all districts have built-in common planning time, enabling teachers to collaborate, analyze student data, and refine instructional strategies with support from coaches and school leaders.
• RIDE has fostered cross-district collaboration through the Professional Learning Network, allowing educators to share best practices and strengthen curriculum-based professional learning.

Taking advantage of now-expired federal relief funds, Rhode Island nearly doubled its budget to provide professional learning opportunities for educators over the past decade, temporarily maintaining a higher percentage of education spending on PL than most states.

In August 2024, RIDE secured $40 million in federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant funding for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Rhode Island. $6,500,000 will be provided to LEAs to be used for the first year of implementation of the RI Reads program to improve literacy statewide and includes financial support for professional learning opportunities for Rhode Island teachers.

Across the state, RIDE continues to collaborate with LEAs to implement high-quality curriculum and structured literacy instruction to improve student academic achievement. While administering this grant, RIDE will continue to work closely with districts to continue to expand coaching models and ensure professional learning time for educators is aligned to support student academic success.