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Scenes from The University of Rhode Island

URI alumna is co-director of Central Falls charter school to be featured on NBC News Feb. 15

Media Contact: Dave Lavallee, 401-874-5862

KINGSTON, R.I. – February 13, 2012 – The Learning Community, a Central Falls public charter school that works with traditional public schools to improve children’s reading skills, will be featured on NBC News this week. Meg O’Leary, a University of Rhode Island alumna, is co-director of the school.

According to the Providence Journal and The Learning Community reports, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton visited The Learning Community in January to interview teachers, students and families about the unique partnership between the charter school and the Central Falls public school district. The two groups collaborated to form the Growing Readers Initiative three years ago. Today, the program is active in all kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classes in the district as a means of improving test scores and fostering reading proficiency at a young age.

O’Leary, who graduated from URI with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1996, has been with The Learning Community for eight years.

Special coverage of the charter school will be featured on NBC programs Wednesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 16. A five-minute segment will air on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams Wednesday at 9 p.m, and a two-minute segment will air on NBC Nightly News Thursday at 6:30.

This release was written by Danielle Sanda, an intern in URI’s Department of Communications and Marketing and a public relations major.