It has been a tumultuous first year on the job for Commissioner Deborah A. Gist, who began work on July 1, 2009. Despite the dispute surrounding the firing of all the current teachers at Central Falls High School and the unsuccessful bid to win federal funds in the first round of Race to the Top, Gist remains upbeat and determined to ensure that “every student in Rhode Island has an excellent teacher in their classroom and an excellent school leader.”
Last week, she announced plans to apply for $75 million in the second round of federal funding and was named to Time magazine’s list of “The World’s Most Influential People.”
PBN: So much attention has been focused on what is “wrong” with Rhode Island schools. What do you think is going very well in Rhode Island schools?
GIST: We have many examples of excellence across the state. I’ve seen schools and classrooms that are shining examples of what we need to be doing in our state. Our plans that we have for the whole state reflect some of those best practices. The standards that we have in place and the quality of state assessments are strong. The initial work we’re doing on curriculum development with 17 districts is really a best practice. The proficiency-based graduation is a model for the country.
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PBN: How important is it for Rhode Island to adopt a formula for school funding for the next budget year?
GIST: It’s critical that we have a funding formula in our state. We spent a significant amount of time and energy developing what we are confident is an excellent funding system. And, one that we think will move us from being the only state without a formula to the state with the best formula in the country.
PBN: Can you be more specific?
GIST: We started by asking ourselves the question: “What does it cost to educate a child in the state of Rhode Island?” More specifically, “What does it cost to educate a child to the expectations that we have set forth in our state through the basic education program.” We’re confident that what we’re recommending not only distributes aid equitably, but also distributes an appropriate amount of aid for every community to educate students to the levels that we’re asking them to do so.
GIST: They do still exist [in Bristol, Central Falls, Cranston, Middletown, Newport, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Providence, Warren, Westerly and Woonsocket.] The state funding for them has been cut back so significantly that they are minimally funded. Our plan is really clear. We have five priorities, with the greatest one being improving educator quality. My primary responsibility is making sure that every student in the state has an excellent teacher in their classroom and an excellent school leader.
PBN: One of the tools that some school districts in Massachusetts are pursuing is providing laptop computers to middle school students. Is this an initiative to pursue here?
GIST: Technology is incredibly important, and we do want our students to be ready for success in the 21st century. In our state, we have not only technology expectations, but an assessment that student’s take – technology competency assessment. For me, it’s less about how district’s get there … with the right tools.
PBN: Many business advocates have sought to have a renewed emphasis on STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – in the public schools. What is Rhode Island doing?
PBN: After being turned down for the first round of funding in “The Race to the Top,” are you hopeful about being chosen in the second round?
GIST: We’re very hopeful. We did quite well on the first round.
PBN: What was some of the feedback you received?
GIST: In the section called “Great Teachers and Leaders,” we were second-highest in the country. We had a number of parts of our application where we had perfect scores, such as standards and assessments. We need to get the funding formula in place, not only because we need a funding formula, but because it would help with “The Race to the Top.” We also need to make sure that we can demonstrate statewide stakeholder support from everyone, including our superintendents and school committees and teacher-union presidents. We’ve been fortunate to have the business community involved in the process. The [Greater Providence] Chamber of Commerce has been the official representative on our steering committee.
PBN: You seem to have a lot on your plate. And, you are doing a doctoral program, too. What do you do for fun?
GIST: I don’t do a lot outside of work for fun; I think that work is fun. I think that it’s fun to do what I do, and I oddly think that it’s fun to read all the research and do the work that I’m doing in my doctoral program. I will say that I have enjoyed the restaurants. The food is quite good. I love to go to WaterFire. •
INTERVIEW
Deborah A. Gist
POSITION: Commissioner, R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
BACKGROUND: Gist served as the first State Superintendent of Education in the District of Columbia, beginning in June 2007. Before that, she served for three years as the state education officer in the District. Gist began her career as a teacher in the Ft. Worth, Texas, elementary schools. She later taught in Tampa, Fla. She won “Teacher of the Year” honors at her schools in both Ft. Worth and Tampa.
EDUCATION: B.S. in early-childhood education, University of Oklahoma, 1988; M.A. in elementary education, University of South Florida, 1997; M.A. in public administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 2000; Doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, slated to graduate in 2012.
FIRST JOB: Working as a babysitter
RESIDENCE: Providence
AGE: 43
