It’s not likely to come up in the governor’s keynote speech, but the two agree more often than not on education issues
By John Mooney
Although it’s surely not the theme he’ll sound tonight in his keynote address to the Republican National Convention, Gov. Chris Christie has often agreed with President Obama on one big issue: education.
Christie has said that he and the president often see eye to eye on charter schools, teacher evaluation, and tenure reform — among other topics. Last year, the governor even hosted Obama’s education secretary, Arne Duncan, at Drumthwacket to help promote his school reform agenda.
“I have a lot of agreement with the president and Arne Duncan on these education issues, and I’ve said that publicly many times,” Christie said in March at a televised forum on education.
He called Duncan an “enormous breath of fresh air in the education system,” and said Obama deserves the credit for appointing him.
The accord also reflects how much Obama has moved to the center on education issues. The president has endorsed testing and accountability measures that have riled teachers unions and other Democratic-leaning interest groups.
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