Education

State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is responding to teachers who say she has an overbearing management style and is disconnected from the rank and file.  At a meeting Monday night, more than 500 teachers demanded that Gist’s contract not be renewed when it expires next month.

Gist said she welcomes the feedback of teachers and hopes that in the years to come management and staff can avoid acrimony and focus on what’s best for students.

Rhode Island is teeming with freshly minted college graduates this morning. Over the weekend, commencement ceremonies were held at all three public colleges, as well as Johnson &Wales, Roger Williams University, Bryant University, Salve Regina University and Providence College.

At Rhode Island College a flash mob formed at the end of the ceremony.  Graduates from the music, theater and dance departments led the crowd of 1,400 in a special rendition of “I’ve had the Time of My Life.”

Former Brown University president Ruth Simmons is being honored by the French government for her contributions to the advancement of French arts and culture.

Brown has been named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor.  The award is the highest decoration offered by the French government.

Simmons is not only fluent in French but has written about French-speaking authors and poets.

Staring down a July 1st deadline, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are looking at ways to control the costs of federal student loans. Senator Jack Reed is behind a measure that would overhaul how student loan interest rates are calculated.

Reed and a handful of democrats in Congress are pushing legislation that offers adjustable rates and caps the maximum interest rates on federal loans. The bill also allows borrowers stuck with high interest rates to refinance.