Power Through Action

“No one can tell your story better than you!”
—Janie Segui Rodriguez, Founder & CEO

Organizing Parents to Take Action

One consistent thread at STWRI is activating our community of parents and addressing public leaders in their fight for the needs of our students. Here are some of the actions we’ve taken with parents to advocate for our students and their education.

‘26 Charter Public School Moratorium

Families waited for hours at the State House to share their stories, and advocate for their children and their communities. Many never got a chance to testify! Some with children in tow after a full school day. Many were first-time participants in the legislative process and came because they wanted their voices heard before decisions were made about their children’s education. Too often, decisions about public education happen without meaningful input from the families most impacted by them.

Providence families are asking for more high-quality public school opportunities — not fewer. In Summer 2025, Stop the Wait RI knocked on more than 15,000 doors and made over 14,000 phone calls, gathering feedback from 938 Providence residents about education and family needs. Families shared that they are looking for schools with strong academics, safer environments, smaller class sizes, and specialized programs that help their children thrive.

The survey also showed strong support for expanding educational opportunities in Providence. More than 72% of respondents supported leasing the vacant Carl G. Lauro School building to Excel Academy, a proposal that included millions of dollars in private investment into the building at no cost to taxpayers.

Project Echo Ed

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‘25 Carl G. Lauro Lease Hearing

What happened at the Providence City Council meeting over the proposed Carl G. Lauro School lease for Excel Academy Rhode Island showed the power of families coming together for their children. Hundreds of parents, students, grandparents, and community members filled City Hall to advocate to lease a vacant school building to a charter public school.

Families wrote and submitted hundreds of letters, knocked on thousands of doors across the city, attended community meetings, and even showed up at City Council Easter egg hunts to respectfully engage councilors in conversation about the future of education in Providence.

While the lease for Excel Academy Rhode Island was ultimately rejected, the movement families built was impossible to ignore. Parents from across Providence, including district families, charter public school families, and waitlist families, stood together with one shared belief: children deserve opportunity, and families deserve to be heard.

Prov School Board Campaign

Thousands of real conversations about the future of public education took place in the summer of 2024. Stop the Wait RI launched a community advocacy campaign to bring greater public awareness to Providence’s first-ever elected School Board races for the new Hybrid School Board.

The campaign focused on bringing awareness to the importance of the election, increasing voter awareness, and elevating community voices around the future of public education in Providence. Through grassroots outreach, voter education efforts, and community engagement, Stop the Wait RI worked to help families better understand the role of the School Board and the impact these historic elections would have on students and schools across the city.

‘24 Carl G. Lauro Lease Hearing

Over 300 parents, children, and community members in mustard yellow Stop the Wait RI t-shirts packed the Providence City Council committee meeting to support the Carl G. Lauro building lease to Achievement First and Excel Academy.

Fifty people testified in favor, with around 250 written testimonies from parents echoing shared experiences. While we are not satisfied with the outcome, we are deeply grateful to everyone who testified, attended, and stood with us, fighting for better schools in our city and state!

Community Conversation With The Mayor

We were in full force at Mayor Smiley’s recent Community Conversation on education, where the passionate voices of our families united to shape the schools they envision for their children. With the state takeover as a significant topic, it was heartening to see so many parents and community members engaged in discussions about the future of Providence schools. This is what it looks like for parents to lead the way in shaping our educational landscape.

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Advocating for Charter Public Schools

Middle and high school students, parents, children, community members, and Stop the Wait staff filled Paff Auditorium at RIDE for the first of several public hearings on new and expanded charter school applications.

Students made compelling pleas about what attending the proposed New England Tech Charter High School would mean for their future both in 2025 and 2026. For those from underserved neighborhoods, this school represents a vital opportunity for a brighter future. Parents and children also testified in support of De La Comunidad (DLC) bilingual charter public school.

Parents actively participated, shared their thoughts, and made their voices heard to extend Achievement’s First lease at Charles N. Fortes. The direct actions of parents alongside the conviction in their testimony led to a 25-year lease renewal for Achievement First at Fortes Elementary schools. With this lease renewal, Achievement First will continue providing a high-quality education to our students for years to come.