10 to Watch 2013

Dr. Sheri Miller-Williams

Executive Director, United Providence

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Who she is:
Humbly describing herself as “an educator,” Dr. Miller-Williams has served at multiple levels in several of the country’s most challenging school districts. And she’s succeeded. Starting as a teacher at the same elementary school she attended as a child, Miller-Williams has gone on to a variety of administrative roles in both public and charter school systems, eventually providing leadership on school turnarounds in Detroit, Charleston, SC, Atlanta, New Orleans and Philadelphia. She most recently arrived in our school system to lead the newly created United Providence (UP) initiative. “I was attracted to UP because of the ability to create something from scratch, to take a business plan and breathe life into it,” she recalls. “It was also aligned with my passion of working in urban settings.”

What she’s here to do:
UP is a first-of-its-kind 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together both the public school system’s administration and teachers union as partners in school turnaround. “We are building the plane while we’re flying it, which is one of the most exciting endeavors I’ve ever been involved in,” Miller-Williams explains. The organization’s work will begin with three of the city’s most challenging schools: Carl Lauro Elementary, Gilbert Stuart Middle and Jorge Alvarez High School. If it works, it could become a national model for school turnaround, particularly in urban districts with strong unions.

Why it’s innovative:

UP has been given autonomy to lead transformation in the three schools, each of which will be overseen by an Instructional Leadership Team co-chaired by the school’s principal and union delegate. Below that, every teacher in the school must serve on one of four advisory committees: culture/climate, academic and professional learning, operations, and parent engagement. In this way, change will come from the bottom up, not the top down.

Why we think it will work:
All the decision makers are on board, including Superintendent Susan Lusi, Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith, Mayor Taveras, the General Assembly, the Rhode Island Foundation and the American Federation of Teachers. And then, of course, there is Dr. Miller-Williams’ passion for the job. “I truly believe that every child has the right to a quality education,” she declares. “It’s a moral imperative. That’s my mission – to provide that.”

dr. sheri miller-williams, united providence, UP!, providence schools, 10 to watch, 2013, providence monthly

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