EDC+503+Su13+-+Newport+District




 * District Description **
 * Authors: Katrina, Julie, Sophi, Yilia **


 * School Demographics and Geographical Location **

The Newport School District is located in Newport, RI and includes 7 schools that serve 2,106 students in grades PK through 12.
 * Overview **

The average NECAP score in the Newport School District is lower than the statewide average. The 4th through 8th grade math, reading and writing levels are all also lower than the state average, except for the 8th grade reading levels which are equivalent.(Infoworks.gov, 2012)
 * Student Achievement **

Students from Newport are more likely to be absent from school than they are in the state as a whole. The rate of chronic absenteeism is 17% for the state, and 23% for the district. The four year graduation rate is lower than the state as a whole (73.5% versus 77.1%) but the five year graduation rate is actually higher than the state average (81.1% versus 77.4%). The percentage of students receiving their GED is 3.2% in the state, and 2.6% in the district. (Infoworks.gov, 2012)
 * Safe and Supportive Schools **

8% of students were suspended in elementary school in the 2011-2012 school year in the Newport district versus 2% statewide. 17% of high school students were suspended statewide in 2011-2012 versus 8% in Newport. It is unexplained why elementary students would be suspended at the same rate as high school students in Newport and why the elementary rate of suspension would be so much higher than the rest of the state. At the state level the suspension rate goes up as students get older. There is a higher rate of mobility in Newport than in the state as a whole. The total stability index in middle school is 87% in state, and 82% in the district; the total mobility index in high school is 16% in state, and 27% in the district. (Infoworks.gov, 2012)

The percentage of teachers with Emergency Certification is lower than the state's. Meanwhile, the percentage of “Not highly qualified” teachers is higher than the state's by 2%. The teacher-student ratio is higher in the Newport District than in the state as a whole at 1:8 versus 1:11. (Infoworks.gov, 2012)
 * Teaching **

Compared to the statewide average, more students in Newport District are eligible for subsidized lunch. Only 3% of students have the opportunities to receive bilingual education services. The percentage of students in Newport receiving Special Education Services is slightly higher than the state level. (Infoworks.gov, 2012)
 * Families and Communities **

The participation in school breakfast is fairly equal in the Newport school district compared to the state as a whole (Rhode Island Kids Count, 2012). The district median family income is $54,116. In the community as a whole the median family income is $85,269, which highlights the difference in the students in the public schools versus those in the community at large, many of whom attend private schools. The median family income in for the state as a whole is $72,724.
 * Socio-ecomonic Status **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Newport has a strong funding picture. Property values per student averages 2,670,612.50, which is higher than East Greenwich's <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> $ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">1,002,895.24 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. The per pupil expenditure is $20,217 in the district, which is higher than the East Greenwich’s average of $14,086 and the state’s average of $ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #888888; display: block; font-family: Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">15,262 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, although Newport's median family income is lower than East Greenwich.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Funding **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Newport has one of the highest rates of out of district spending, which could be a result of the high child abuse and neglect rates (Infoworks.gov, 2012 and Rhode Island Kids Count, 2012). Occasionally youth involved with the Department of Children Youth and Families end up in placements out of state. There is also a state chartered school, the Met School, located in Newport that diverts funds from the traditional district schools. This school is technically a vocational school, which expands the vocational offering to high school students who can also choose to attend the traditional vocational school that is part of Rogers High School. There are only two other districts that spend more on out of district spending - Jamestown and Little Compton.

Newport represents an interesting case study. It is a district that has a high per pupil expenditure and a mix of both charter and traditional public schools, however, the scores on the NECAP and reading, math and writing examinations are all lower than the state average. It could be the case that although Newport's resources are high, the traditional model does not adequately serve the population in the schools, many of whom are effectively poorer than average, even though their family income compares to state averages, because the cost of living in Newport is so much higher than the rest of the state (US Census Data, 2012; RI Kids Count, 2012).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summary **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sources

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">InfoWorks: Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. (2013) []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Education.com (2012) http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/rhode-island/district/newport-school-district/

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">National Center for Educational Statistics. []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rhode Island Kids Count. (2012). //Fact Book.//