5Q: James Tracy

 / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
/ PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

1What is the role of private schools in the Rhode Island education landscape?

It is private schools that continue to provide the highest benchmarks for educational excellence. If you want to see tomorrow’s best classroom practices, look at today’s private schools. They add a richer array of educational options from which Rhode Island families can choose the best fit for their child. As well-resourced institutions, which enjoy far lower regulatory constraint than their public sector counterparts, they are incubators of innovative pedagogical best practices.

2What are the challenges faced by the state’s private schools?

Our current challenge is to inculcate the skills which will be demanded of leaders in all fields when today’s students come of age. This requires a thoughtful synthesis of traditional skills and values with top emergent skill sets.

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3How has Rocky Hill School’s enrollment and fundraising trended recently?

Rocky Hill’s enrollment and fundraising have been relatively flat in recent years. Enrollment for the 2013-14 year was 288 students, then 287 in 2014-15 and 283 for 2015-16. The school raised $439,000 in 2014, $479,000 in 2015 and $470,000 this year. Rocky Hill has a tremendous talent in its families, teachers and staff, trustees and alumni.

4You recently reported to police allegations of rape and sexual abuse in the 1970s against a former school faculty member. What steps will the school now take in the investigation?

We intend to continue modeling transparency in our handling of this serious matter. We are working closely with law enforcement and have launched our own internal investigation. It will be a decision of law enforcement whether criminal charges are warranted.

5How will you further the mission of the school and increase community impact in your new position?

I have considerable experience building partnerships between schools and the community. For example, at Cushing Academy, we forged a formal affiliation with the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, which allowed our students to have regular access to Oxford professors in various fields and led to open content initiatives used by schools around the world. I see endless possibilities for similar programs at Rocky Hill School. •

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