Per this and this, the Providence Journal editorial board calls for passage of a bill which would allow for "Mayoral Academies" or charter-like schools overseen by municipalities which would be free from innovation-killing red tape. They opine:
It’s not clear whether the Finance Committee will vote out this measure, House bill 7874, a crucial step toward final approval. Citizens who believe it’s time to at least test an alternative approach for providing public education in Rhode Island should contact their legislators and Chairman Steven Costantino, and urge passage of H-7874.
Rhode Island students, particularly poor and minority children, could gain immeasurably from this experiment. Certainly, the results are in on the status quo — and what the state is doing now can hardly be deemed an unqualified success.