What Teachers Need Most: Q&A with Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist

Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has drawn national attention for her fight to make teachers better. She created a new statewide teacher evaluation system, she raised Rhode Island's standards for acceptance into teacher-preparation programs, and she fired all the teachers at at a failing high school near Providence when they resisted reform. These efforts landed her on Time's 100 most influential people list in 2010.

Reason.tv sat down with Gist at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington, D.C. to talk about what teachers are most lacking.

This interview is part of National School Choice Week, a non-partisan initiative to raise awareness of how competition and choice can transform K-12 education.

Approximately 1.30 minutes. Filmed by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg, and edited by Epstein. Interview by Nick Gillespie.

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