Brown researchers offer key contributions to recommendations on Rhode Island public school funding

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Research led by education scholars from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University has informed a proposal, detailed in a new report from the Rhode Island Foundation, for K-12 public education funding in Rhode Island.

The foundation convened an 18-member Blue Ribbon Commission to develop recommendations for updating the state's 16-year-old funding formula in ways aimed at advancing student success.

The Brown researchers facilitated, guided and provided data to inform the commission's report, which is titled "Equalizing Opportunity: Creating a Fair and Transparent Funding System for Rhode Island's Public Schools." The report was discussed at a Jan. 22 Boston Globe panel event in Providence featuring Annenberg Institute Director John Papay among the speakers.

"We chose to take on this work because we see improving the school funding system as a key policy lever to raise outcomes for all students in the state," said Papay, an associate professor of education policy at Brown.

The report details four key recommendations: expanded state funding to cover necessities like busing and building maintenance, which are currently the responsibilities of cities and towns; adjustments to target spending to students' instructional needs, with more funding for students with disabilities and multilingual learners; required minimum local contributions based on a municipality's ability to pay; and more transparency on spending and student outcomes.

Annenberg Institute researchers provided essential and neutral expertise and support to inform the report, according to commission co-chair David Cicilline, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation (and a Class of 1983 Brown graduate).

"Annenberg's objective, research-based style was credible across the diverse spectrum of commission members - that was crucial," Cicilline said.

The recommendations will form the basis of legislation expected to be introduced later this year in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would replace the current funding formula adopted in 2010.

"Investing in public education is essential to Rhode Island's future," Cicilline said. "This new school funding proposal puts the focus on the kids in classrooms and on real fiscal accountability to ensure student success."

Cicilline, a former U.S. representative who serves as a senior fellow in international and public affairs at Brown's Watson School of International and Public Affairs, said the Annenberg Institute was an ideal partner for the project given the deep and sustained work of its leaders and staff, both in Rhode Island public schools and with national school-funding experts.

The commission met eight times since 2024, and the institute's leaders helped the group analyze a breadth of research, engage with national experts and synthesize nuanced and challenging discussions into memos and, eventually, the final report, according to Brenda Santos, who leads Annenberg's research-practice partnerships with Rhode Island school districts.

"The commission brought together members from a diverse group of stakeholders within the state, including some people who have interests that are very different from one another," Santos said. "It was really important that they were all at the table together bringing different perspectives."

The Annenberg Institute also facilitated a youth working group, which invited 14 students from eight school districts to share their firsthand experiences, and an accountability working group with national experts on school finance and accountability. The youth working group presented four recommendations to the commission, including the importance of local investment in schools by cities and towns, which is not required for all districts under the current formula, and the need for increased support for students with special learning needs, Santos said.

"For a long time, there has been conversation in education research literature about whether spending on schools matters for student outcomes," Papay said. "And recently, there's been a lot of good evidence that spending does matter - that schools need to have sufficient funding to support all learners."