The Rhode Island Education Governance Forum--organized and facilitated by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) convened in November 2016 to engage local education stakeholders in learning and dialogue about governance issues in the state. Forum participants included teachers, school and district leaders, public officials, and leaders from the state education department, teachers' union, community organizations, and researchers. In addition to the statewide learning forum, AISR engaged local education stakeholders--including youth and parent leaders--in focus group conversations and surveys around transformative governance reform. This summary paper outlines key themes, challenges, and preliminary recommendations that emerged from the Forum around issues of education governance. This is the first in a series to share insights from the Forum. [Interviewing support for this report was provided from Mary Arkins Decasse.]