When difficult students behave, teachers shower them with praise. Providing positive attention will hopefully encourage more appropriate behavior.
Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is a teacher at heart, and so she showers the legislative leaders with praise for passing a funding formula this year. Her opinion piece in today’s Journal specifically names the leaders and committee chairs of both houses of the General Assembly, and all legislators in general.
Gist congratulates the assembly for its foresight, leadership, and pioneering efforts in taking “a historic step” to develop this “transparent, consistent education-funding formula”.
Gist is smart to use the old behavior modification strategy, heaping praise on the generally misbehaving legislators. But she shouldn’t expect the General Assembly to suddenly start working for the benefit of everyone. This is Rhode Island, after all.
