R.I. chooses D.C. education chief as new commissioner
12:39 PM Wed, Apr 01, 2009 | Permalink
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Deborah Gist
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Deborah A. Gist, education chief in Washington, D.C., has been selected as Rhode Island's new education commissioner. McWalters, 62, announced last year he would step down June 30, after serving 17 1/2 years, making him one of the longest serving education chiefs in the country. The board intends to formally vote at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 2 afternoon at a special ceremony at the State House. Gov. Carcieri, in accordance with state law, will also cast a vote for her appointment. Gist will become the first woman to lead the state Department of Education. She grew up in Oklahoma, the granddaughter of teachers. After years of classroom experience in Texas and Florida, Gist began her administrative experience in 2000, first serving as a senior policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Education. In 2004, she began working for Washington's "state education office," helping to restructure the agency. There, she oversaw the city's 60 charter schools that serve 20,000 students, improved child nutrition programs and launched a comprehensive online application program to encourage more students to apply to college. She was appointed "state superintendent of education," a position analogous to Rhode Island's education commissioner, in 2007, working with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to improve the district's ailing schools. "She is a high-energy, passionate person who impressed us all," said Robert G. Flanders, Jr., chairman of the Board of Regents. "She combines both practical experience and a top-notch education. She had obviously given a lot of thought about the job and knew all about Rhode Island laws and the powers of the commissioner when she met with us. And she's coming from an urban background in D.C. and that's a critical component of raising the bar here in Rhode Island." The Regents were also impressed with her work to improve teacher quality, a critical component in improving education, Flanders said. Gist says her eight years as a classroom teacher is "hand's down the most important experience I have with me every day as I serve in a leadership role." She received her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from the University of Oklahoma in 1988 and went to work for six years in the Ft. Worth, Texas, public schools, teaching first, second and third grades and was named "Teacher of the Year." She taught second grade students in Hillsborough County Schools in Florida from 1994-1996, again winning the "Teacher of the Year" award, and from 1996-1999 she founded and ran a family literacy program in Hillsborough County. In 1997, she earned a master's in elementary education and curriculum from the University of South Florida. And in 2000, Gist received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was selected as a Kennedy Fellow and a Littauer Fellow for academic excellence and community service. In her latest job in Washington, Gist has been responsible for all federal programs and financing; compliance with the federal education No Child Left Behind law, including yearly testing of students, classifying how well schools serve students, and academic standards; the district's large charter school system; adult education and early childhood programs, and the transportation of students. "We reached out to national leaders when we began our search, and asked everyone we could think of who they would recommend," said Regent Angus Davis, who co-chaired the search. "And everyone we talked to said, "Deb Gist." Everyone said she was one of the two or three best people in the country." 
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She sounds wonderful. Why is she leaving her post in DC? Will she be able to do the things she would like to accomplish in RI based on the politics in the state and the lack of funds that would be available for her to accomplish what she believes needs modification or change? I am sorry to see Mr. McWalters retire.
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I pray to God that this woman will embrace old type education,. I would love to eradicate the " new math" they are teaching our kids, it is awful. the teacher cannot with a straight face say that it is better than the old method of teaching we had in the 1960s. It makes for stupid kids taught by indifferent teachers. Please get rid of new math.
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I pray that this woman will embrace old type education,. I would love to eradicate the " new math" they are teaching our kids, it is awful. the teacher cannot with a straight face say that it is better than the old method of teaching we had in the 1960s. It makes for stupid kids taught by indifferent teachers. Please get rid of new math.
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What??? The last time I checked (earlier today) Washington, DC had the WORST PERFORMING SCHOOLS and the HIGHEST COST PER STUDENT in the USA!!!! It stands to reason that Rhode Island would hire an individual with a track record of ABJECT FAILURE to oversee our ABMISMAL SCHOOLS! This would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic. Is there a word worse than disgusted to describe how we must feel here about this travesty?
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what a coup! Incredible. If you read the Washington Post, be ready for changes. It'll be owrth it.
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For someone that was a teacher in the past it shocks me that Ms. Gist wants to replace seasoned teachers with college grads.
That makes no sense at all. She is also coming from one of the worst performing systems in the US (as Don said).
Did we forget that parents are the ones that instill hard work and consequence? The parents don't care and the kids are the by product of poor parenting. That is an absolute fact.
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