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School Profile
The Textron/Chamber of Commerce Providence Public Charter School in Providence, Rhode Island, (commonly referred to as Textron Chamber) was chartered by the Rhode Island Board of Regents of Elementary and Secondary Education. It opened its doors in the fall of 1994 as a public school and was chartered in 1997. It currently enrolls some 200 students in grades 9-12. Nearly all of these students formerly attended the Providence school district. Textron Chamber is divided organizationally into a "Lower School" and an "Upper School" based upon the age and demonstrated competencies of students, all of whom attend the school on a full-day basis. The primary reason cited for the formation of Textron Chamber were three things that were perceived to be largely or completely unavailable in Providence prior to its existence: a lack of leadership at the school level, a lack of fiscal autonomy, and a lack of self-governance opportunities for schools. The charter school model offered a way for the school's founders (two teachers), to address each of these perceived deficiencies.
The core philosophy of Textron Chamber has two major pillars: maximum effort on the part of students and a structured, "authentic" learning environment on the part of the school. Regarding expectations for student effort, the school's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) notes that "…Effort equals ability: All we really ask of a student is that they try hard to succeed, be at school on time, all the time, and to behave in a respectful manner." Regarding the structured, authentic environment the school strives to provide, he stated, "…Students learn best when engaged in authentic learning, [and] with our real-world jobs program, our campus is the entire city….Structure changes students' habits, and this in turn makes them successful….Students who are not the best performers in the classroom are often tremendous workers. When given an opportunity to get paid for working in an environment that represents their passion, kids do very well." INVOLVED GROUPS AND DECISIONMAKERS Groups that were prominently involved in the planning and development
phases of Textron Chamber included the following (note: the program
survey did not investigate how the amount and nature of involvement
on the part of various stakeholders might differ):
Prominent decisionmakers at Textron, both in terms of the school's policies, organizational mission, and direction, as well as its curriculum and instruction, include the CEO, the Chief Operations Officer, teachers and other school staff, business/industry/trade/nonprofit employers, and parents. Employers and parents play a wide variety of roles at Textron, ranging from governance to curriculum planning and development, and are providers of learning opportunities outside the school. In addition, the school identifies two key partners that are its business sponsors: Textron, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Providence that makes a variety of products including aircraft components, and the Providence Chamber of Commerce.
The curriculum at Textron Chamber emphasizes core academic subjects such as math and reading in the Lower School and more advanced courses such as biology and foreign language in the Upper School. It is delivered using a wide variety of instructional methods, and the school also features a senior internship that involves worksite placement for at least six months as a graduation requirement. In terms of how precisely the curriculum is stated and defined for teachers, Textron's CEO describes it as being defined "somewhat precisely," and notes that it is "somewhat different" from the curriculum in a traditional high school. While it is "not important" for students to be prepared for a particular career, career cluster, or occupational cluster, it is "very important" that they understand links between academic subjects and adult life in the real world. Providing students with real-world learning opportunities is described
as a "strong emphasis" of the curriculum and organization
at Textron, and administrators state that nearly all enrolled students
(75-99%) experience such opportunities. Specific forms that these real-world
practices take at Textron include the following:
In comparison with other schools involved in this study, Textron has faced comparatively few challenges. The principal challenge identified by administrators has been opposition on the part of the Providence school board to the school. By forming an alliance with parents and the local business community, however, the school's founders were able appeal to the State Board of Regents to grant the charter without local approval. The important factor in building this coalition was the composition of the soon-to-be-formed governing board, which featured one third parents, one-third business leaders, and one-third teachers.
In addition to opposition from the Providence school board, the following
five issues were described by administrators at Textron as major issues
that the school has faced:
Textron/Chamber of Commerce Providence Public Charter School 130 Broadway Providence, RI 02903
Tel: (401) 456-1738
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