Segue Institute for Learning
Segue’s Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE Space) was designed to support middle school learners in a flexible learning environment. The new space builds upon previous projects that created smaller spaces for more focused science training. “With the ACE Space, the goal was to create a welcoming environment where our students could explore big ideas through various workstations, where they could create and feature their art, and where we could welcome guest speakers to enrich our academic programs” said Segue Institute principal Kevin Montoya. The ACE Space, a large room that formerly housed a church auditorium before the school acquired the property, is equipped with a library, a computer lab, art installment walls, and modular desks that can be situated based on the programming on any given day. In developing the space, teachers and administration worked together to identify changes in workforce demands and the skills their students would need to remain competitive. Rather than settle on a space with a limited focus, plans were put in place to create a space that could serve multiple functions for their students and encourage project-based learning—a methodology that research suggests is beneficial for students who may be emerging English speakers. The space is accessible to any teacher in the middle school at Segue to reserve, as well as any teacher in the Central Falls community to work on projects with their secondary level students.
College Visions
Celebrating their 20th anniversary and moving their headquarters to a new building in downtown Providence, College Visions recently received a Champlin Foundation grant for Chromebooks for students in programs after school at the College Visions office, for students at the new location in Woonsocket High School, and for students taking part in their summer program. The equipment from this grant has proven to be useful throughout their many initiatives for both the academic year and the summer. Having this equipment on hand provides more flexibility in meeting students where they are, allowing them to work independently and at their own pace. College Visions served more than 600 young people in 2023-2024, providing equitable access to higher educational opportunities for all historically underserved communities. In thinking about how this grant has improved the student experience, executive director Lamont Gordon notes that with so much of the college and job application process being online, “we’re able to offer real-world exercises to more of the people we serve.”