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Superintendent's Journey: From Homelessness to Leading Schools
14 Nov
Summary
- Superintendent Montañez overcame homelessness and dyslexia to lead the school district.
- Providence schools implemented a literacy plan, seeing improved reading proficiency.
- Two elementary schools now show higher reading rates than predicted by poverty.
Providence Public Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez, who experienced homelessness and dyslexia, is now leading the district he once attended. His personal journey fuels his dedication to improving educational outcomes for all students.
The district, serving over 19,400 students, has undertaken a significant literacy overhaul. A five-year plan focuses on aligning reading curriculum and instruction across all schools, aiming to support struggling learners while also challenging high achievers.
This strategic shift has yielded promising results. Two elementary schools, Asa Messer and Leviton Dual Language, have shown significantly higher third-grade reading proficiency than predicted by their high poverty rates. These schools now have between 41% and 45% of third graders reading on grade level.
Montañez emphasizes the importance of understanding students' challenges, advocating for wraparound services. As of 2024-25, third-grade proficiency rates have increased year over year, approaching pre-pandemic levels, with the district recently returned to local control.
