Becky Coustan, former RIDE District Visit Fellow and an award-winning high school educator, was hired in the spring of 2010 to lead Paul Cuffee School’s new high school program.

Ms. Coustan holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Yale, a Master’s Degree in School Administration and Supervision from Touro College in New York, and a J.D. from New York University’s School of Law. A Rhode Island native, she brings 15 years of education experience to her new position, and holds Rhode Island state certificates for Middle and Secondary School Principal, Administrator for Curriculum and Instruction, and Teaching Secondary Social Studies, History, Sociology and Political Science.

Prior to leading Paul Cuffee’s High School expansion, Ms. Coustan was involved in statewide work assessing school quality, making recommendations for school improvement and writing education policy. She has served in the Providence public schools since 2002 in a variety of teaching and leadership roles, including as a leader in social studies curriculum and professional development, lead coach to teacher leaders at Hope High School, and lead teacher of social studies at Central High School in Providence. She has twice received Teacher of the Year awards, one from Central High School and one from the High School for Legal Studies in New York City.

Ms. Coustan is excited to be building on the success of Paul Cuffee School’s elementary and middle school divisions. She aspires to create a high school program that will nurture professional learning communities, set high expectations for student success, and encourage educators to innovate and inspire.

bcoustan@paulcuffee.org

(401) 781-2727