Vittoria Pacifico-DeBenedictis was recently appointed president of St. Mary Academy-Bay View, a Catholic school for girls in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in East Providence. For the past 11 years, she has served as principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Braintree, Mass. Pacifico-DeBenedictis holds a master’s degree in school administration from Emmanuel College and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. more

It took Andrew Yang, a Brown University alumnus and self-starter, a while to get where he wanted. more

Before the individual mandate is ever enforced or insurance exchanges established, the federal health care reform law that’s roiled the nation may fundamentally change the way Rhode Islanders with cognitive disabilities and Alzheimer’s disease are treated. more

At the Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, Jonathan M. Schoenwald, head of school, is looking forward to the September session. That’s because the school will try a new program, issuing iPads to its middle school children. The private institution already has 30 iPads available to its students, from preschool to fifth grade that were shared between the classes as part of a trial run from last year. “We’ve adopted the use of the iPad wholeheartedly. We’re starting [out with middle school this year] but that’s almost 80 students,” he said. “That’s a pretty big commitment.” more

The R.I. Department of Education has received applications to open two new charter schools in the state for the fall of 2013. more

Frank Pallotta, superintendent of the Burrillville school system, was named the 2013 Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year by the Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association. more

Two years into a four-year reform plan, the R.I. Department of Education has used roughly 21 percent of a $75 million U.S. Department of Education ‘Race to the Top’ grant meant to help support improvement measures. more

Two Rhode Island teachers have been labeled as “Math Heroes” by Raytheon Co.’s MathMovesU Math Heroes Awards. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee has been named to the National Governors Association Education and Workforce Committee by NGA Chair, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and NGA vice chair, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. more

The Office of Educator Quality and Certification at the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved Bryant University’s Master of Arts in Teaching secondary education certification. more