History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
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Past Educational Opportunity Reports
New Jersey’s governor and the public education debate
- 10-25-2010
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Editorial by Brent Staples/New York Times
New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, has been bludgeoning the state’s teachers and their unions since he took office earlier this year. The name-calling has raised his profile nationally, and made him a darling of the right. It has also made rational conversation on school reform nearly impossible. Last month, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, seemed to address this problem when he announced that he was pouring $100 million into a school reform plan in troubled Newark, whose schools are controlled by the state. He said from the start that the plan would be a joint project of politicians, civic groups and the very teachers’ unions that Mr. Christie has been demonizing since Day 1. The deal as it was originally announced called for Mr. Christie to cede some control of Newark’s schools to Cory Booker, the city’s well-liked mayor. But it became clear just days later that state law allowed for no such transfer of power. This meant the governor would remain very much at the center of a delicate situation. (more…)
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