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Melanie Griffith MFA ’11 has co-founded the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education (RISPE). RISPE is Rhode Island’s first and only residency-style graduate school of education. Its purpose is to recruit, train, and support teachers and school leaders of color for Rhode Island’s urban public schools. RISPE believes strongly in social justice, anti-racist pedagogy, and the power of public education to transform society. RISPE was unanimously granted initial institutional approval by the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education on March 20th, 2019, and it the first stand-alone institution of higher education approved by the council since 1964. RISPE anticipates a launch in June 2020.