Chris Cerf: In His Own WordsThe commissioner-designate takes a stand on school reform, accountability, economically disadvantaged students, teachers unions and more
- Chris Cerf (left), Governor Chris Christie's pick for NJ Commissioner of Education.
He said he wouldn’t go into specific policy, but Chris Cerf is still a talker.
So, in his introduction at a Statehouse press conference yesterday as New Jersey’s next education commissioner, Cerf provided plenty of clues as to what he finds important in education and what specific issues he may pursue.
Some answers were terse, and Gov. Chris Christie was never too far away to expand. But on school choice, teacher tenure and a few other topics, Cerf certainly wasn’t shy in sharing his thoughts. How that plays out on specific proposals in New Jersey is yet to be seen.
What Makes Chris Cerf Tick?
In some of his first expansive comments since being tapped for the job, Cerf listed five central principles to school reform: people, accountability, competition, empowerment and innovation.
In his own words:
"People are at the heart of it. The last frontier of school reform is finding the very, very best teachers and school leaders and making sure they are the ones who are there, and we have
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