Projo Politics Blog

The Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association has established a service award in the name of the late Rep. Paul W. Crowley, in honor of the Newport Democrat’s longstanding commitment to education.

The Paul Crowley Award will be presented annually to a Rhode Islander “who has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving the quality of education for the children of Rhode Island with the same zeal and perseverance” as Crowley did, the association said.

The honor comes with a $1,000 scholarship for a high school senior planning a teaching career, to be selected by the award recipient.

Crowley died in September, at 57, of melanoma. The first Crowley Award was presented to his widow, Diana Crowley, by Coventry Supt. Kenneth R. DiPietro, president of the association.

Crowley had headed the House Finance Subcommittee on Education for many years. He was a former member of the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. He worked on several education issues, including pushing for greater accountability from schools in the late 1990s — years before the federal law No Child Left Behind was enacted — and establishing a statewide school funding formula.

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