Providence Public Schools Will Exit Department of Justice Multilingual Learners Settlement Agreement Monitoring

Published on Wednesday, November 13, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – Today, Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez announced that the Providence Public School District (PPSD) has reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to exit federal monitoring that was part of a settlement agreement entered by City of Providence in 2018, prior to the State intervention, for federal non-compliance issues and failure to properly serve multilingual learners. The DOJ has determined that while further relief is needed to address identified challenges with PPSD’s Newcomer programs which serve about 300 students with limited or interrupted formal education and will be monitored until the conclusion of the 2026-2027 school year, monitoring for the District’s other nearly 8,000 multilingual learners under the 2018 agreement ends effective today.

“With the commitment and support of the State under the State Intervention, Providence Public Schools continues to make progress in addressing decades of underperformance and dysfunction,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “We’re pleased that the Department of Justice has recognized RIDE and PPSD’s considerable progress in addressing systemic non-compliance issues that have hindered the success for multilingual learners for far too long. As a daughter of immigrants, a multilingual learner, and a mother of multilingual learners, I know that multilingual students can thrive if they are given the right supports. I’m deeply appreciative of the school leaders and staff and community partners who’ve worked diligently and collaboratively to ensure we better serve our students and were able to reach this milestone for PPSD.”

“The historic agreement to exit DOJ monitoring is a testament to our relentless efforts to ensure every student, regardless of background or language proficiency, has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said PPSD Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez “We believe in the promise of our multilingual learners and have invested significant time, resources, and supports, to rectify longstanding compliance issues. Our ongoing district-wide initiatives underscore this unwavering commitment, and we appreciate the DOJ's partnership and continued collaboration as we have worked together to ensure all our MLLs thrive in our schools.”

Under the State Intervention, the District and RIDE have advocated for and prioritized several investments that have aimed to improve outcomes and expand opportunities for students districtwide. Since entering the Settlement Agreement in 2018, PPSD has invested millions in student and educator supports and worked diligently to ensure compliance with its terms and ensure it properly serves multilingual students and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) parents. The District has increased its annual, recurring investments in support of multilingual learners by over $5 million including additional funds for staffing, certification, translation and interpretation services, and high-quality curriculum and professional development.

 The District is in compliance with all key areas identified by the DOJ. 

• Relative to the identification and placement of students, the District’s implementation of a monthly reporting system and training of Registration Center staff now allows it to adequately identify, screen, and place students.  
• The District’s revamping of its collaboration model and MLL waiver policy, as well as the discontinuation of its segregated sheltered ESL program, has allowed the District to expand access to daily MLL services and core curriculum.
• The District’s addition of an Executive Director of MLL Services and its greatly improved recruiting and incentive programs have allowed it to dramatically increase the number of adequately trained staff working with MLLs. The District has offered nearly 500 teachers reimbursement to attain ESOL certification which has significantly expanded the number of certified teachers supporting MLLs.  
• The District’s investment in DOJ approved professional development programs have allowed it to comply with the required training for all teaching and administrative staff. 
• The District has made the necessary investments in high quality curriculum and resources for MLLs.
• The District can adequately communicate with MLL parents because of a sustained investment in expanding interpretation and translation. 
• The District’s various initiatives have expanded MLL access to specialized programs such as Advanced Academics and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs since the inception of the Settlement Agreement. 
• With the help of the District’s consultant and development of the Special Education guide, the District is able to identify and evaluate MLLs for special education services as required by the Settlement Agreement. 
• The District’s investment in a database and longitudinal studies have allowed it to develop a system to properly exit MLL students, monitor, evaluate MLL programs, and complete reports that have been commended by the DOJ. 

With the support of the State, PPSD is set to end their Settlement Agreement with the DOJ ahead of neighboring communities. Boston Public Schools entered a Settlement Agreement for MLLs with the DOJ in 2010.

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