Providence: Education and Research

Providence: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The overall responsibility for public education in Rhode Island is delegated to the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, consisting of nine members appointed by the mayor. School committees govern local schools, meeting uniform standards set by the board. Providence secondary schools are part of the College Board's "Pacesetter" pilot program, which uses the latest consensus by educators on what students should know in mathematics, English, science, Spanish, and world history to develop a curriculum and test for high school students.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Providence public schools as of the 2004–2005 school year.

Total enrollment: 25,742

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 22

junior high/middle schools: 6

senior high schools: 7

charter: 2

Student/teacher ratio: 26:1

Teacher salaries

minimum: $33,521

maximum: $63,185

Funding per pupil: $11,592

Public Schools Information: Providence School Department, 797 Westminster St., Providence, RI 02903; telephone (401)456-9100

Colleges and Universities

Providence is home to seven institutions of higher education and is within 50 miles of dozens more. Brown University, the nation's seventh oldest college and a member of the Ivy League, is noted for its medical school and its engineering, liberal arts, and science programs; it contains more than 40 academic departments. The Rhode Island School of Design, founded in 1877, offers programs in art, architecture, and design, and it shares a cooperative arrangement with Brown University. Providence College offers liberal arts and science programs under the auspices of the religious order of Dominicans. Johnson and Wales University is noted for its culinary arts program. Technical and career education is provided by New England Institute of Technology and Rhode Island College. Roger Williams University's continuing education department provides part-time classes for adult learners. The University of Rhode Island's College of Continuing Education is in Providence, while its main campus is in Kingston.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Providence Public Library, second largest public library in New England, maintains collections on whaling, printing, architecture, Civil War and slavery, ship models, early children's books, and Irish and Italian culture. It consists of a main library and 10 branches, with holdings of more than 800,000 items. It is a Patent Depository Library with computer access to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is also a U.S. and State Documents Depository.

Among the 15 private and public libraries in Providence are those maintained by Brown University, such as the John Carter Brown Library, a center for advanced research in the humanities, and the Annmary Brown Memorial, which exhibits early printed matter. The renovated John Hay Library is the location of most of Brown's rare books, manuscripts, special collections, and archives. The Providence Athenaeum, where Edgar Allan Poe courted the woman who later did not become his wife, is a private library built in 1838 to resemble a Greek temple. The Rhode Island Historical Society maintains a library containing printed and graphic materials relating to state history and genealogy. The Rhode Island School of Design Library is an important resource for art, architecture, and design information in the state.

A major center for research activity is Brown University, where research is being carried out in areas such as medicine, sociology, astronomy, political science, and psychology. Rhode Island College studies evaluation and research, and nature conservancy. Medical research is performed by the Veterans Administration Medical Center Research Service and Roger Williams Cancer Center.

Public Library Information: Providence Public Library, 225 Washington St., Providence, RI 02903; telephone (401)455-8000, Fax (401)455-8080