Who are we?

The Learning Community is a K-8 urban school with a national reputation for excellent instruction, innovation and sharing what works with other public schools.  The Learning Community is one of 30 Commended schools in Rhode Island — the only urban middle school to receive this honor. Founded in 2004, The Learning Community serves 560 students from Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence and is known for outstanding faculty and a rigorous, inquiry-based approach to learning – emphasizing dialogue, debate and real world problems. The Learning Community’s academic program is based on national standards and the latest research-based instructional strategies. Students are outperforming state averages on standardized tests and are also practicing critical thinking and the speaking and listening skills that leaders engage in.

Our student body reflects the communities we serve: 81 percent Latino, 39 percent English Language Learners, 86 percent qualify for free or reduced-priced meals and 100 percent have important stories to tell.

By nurturing the voices of teachers, students and families, The Learning Community has built a strong welcoming culture. The Learning Community has among the best family engagement of any public school in the state, and has systems to support the social and emotional challenges families face. The afterschool program brings more opportunities for students to express themselves through the arts, athletic teams, hands-on science and engineering, social action projects and more.

The Learning Community is home to The Teaching Studio, which provides high quality teacher professional development and resources to impact public education regionally. Learning Community consulting teachers and coaches are working with partner classrooms in Rhode Island and host visitors from across the country. This work is impacting over 3000 students in other public schools in the state.

What we offer

The Learning Community is an innovative, diverse school that is committed to excellent instruction and to deepening STEM learning opportunities for our students both during the school day and as part of our afterschool and summer programs. We have a strong track record of supporting partnerships with higher education, major funders, community organizations and other public schools.  The Learning Community has received national attention for its work to share what works to improve student achievement in public schools in Rhode Island.  Our Teaching Studio, a teacher-led consulting practice, is reaching 3000 Rhode Island public school students through its work this year alone.

Key needs

The Learning Community is located in Central Falls, the state’s poorest community and one of the nation’s most densely populated cities. To provide a context for classroom learning, we seek more opportunities for our students to engage with science in the field, experience the natural world and gain hands-on, real world STEM experiences in laboratories and workplaces.  We are particularly excited for our students to interact with scientists who represent the diverse backgrounds of our students. Specifically, we seek:

• Thoughtful strategies to incorporate more engineering, applied math and applied science into our existing curriculum;
• Scientists who can visit classrooms and our afterschool program to share engaging stories of their career, their research and their educational path with students;
• Equipment and supplies to support hands on experimentation;
• Access to high-quality STEM programming to enhance our afterschool program; and
• Opportunities for field trips that will grow student excitement about and understanding of STEM in the field, at research facilities, on college campuses and in workplaces.

Contacts

Derek Collamati, Director of Development, supports external partnerships | email

Dr. Carey Bledsoe, Middle Grades Co-Coordinator of Culture and Accountability| STEM Coach, oversees all of The Learning Community’s STEM programming | email