The report ranked each state on an A to F scale in several categories. Rhode Island earned a B in standards and testing and a C in school environment. These marks place Rhode Island in the middle of the national rankings for state education. Among New England states, however, Rhode Island is at the bottom of the ranks. The issue that remains in top focus now is the urban versus suburban comparison.
Suburban schools tend to recevie more funds, and are better maintained than their city counterparts.
Wolk explained that the gap between the urban and suburban schools is significant, but that the disparity seems to be decreasing. Wolk cited the state reform bill regarding education, Article 31, as an example of the decreasing disparity. The bill, which mandates that report cards be sent to parents, has been successfully instilling accountability provisions for all schools. State spending, which is distributed in higher proportions to suburban schools, is definitely one cause of the urban-suburban disparity. The cities simply are not receiving equal amounts of state funding.