Sunday, May 08, 2011

Harvard Gives Christie’s Education Plans a Warm Welcome

This NYT article said Christie's speech was warmly received (to my great surprise – maybe we're starting to win this war – LOL!):

Conservatives may see Harvard as the heart of liberal darkness, but on Friday it gave a warm, even enthusiastic reception to Gov. Chris Christie and his ideas on education overhaul.

Speaking to almost 200 students and staff members at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the New Jersey governor drew rounds of applause with his talk of sharply limiting teacher tenure, rigorously evaluating teachers and administrators, curbing the power of teachers' unions and pledging to appoint more-conservative justices to the State Supreme Court.

Mr. Christie's first ovation came when he said, "The reason I'm engaging in this battle with the teachers' union is because it's the only fight worth having."

The ground he covered would be familiar to anyone who has watched the town hall-style forums in New Jersey that have made Mr. Christie a YouTube star. There, at least a few detractors usually show up to question him, and his policies and pugnacious statements can make even some supporters uncomfortable.

But here, during Mr. Christie's 40-minute opening talk and a question-and-answer session of the same length, the response was less equivocal.

"I came away very encouraged, and I admire him for saying things that might be unpopular," said Matt Shiraki, 26, a graduate student at the Kennedy School of Government.

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Harvard Gives Christie's Education Plans a Warm Welcome

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
Published: April 29, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/nyregion/harvard-gives-christies-education-plans-a-warm-welcome.html

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