Interestingly, I think education reform broadly should be a priority for the Christie administration and Bret because it is the one area where there is a pretty solid nexus of bipartisan consensus, and because it further outs the NJEA for playing its obstructionist role. For instance, the recent flap over the state's Race to the Top application, and its requirement that a "proposal" for linking student assessment data to teacher review be submitted, is something that seems wholly reasonable to the man on the street. It's, in fact, one of the signature issues of a democratic president...and there are many democratic and republic legislators who see the value in this, but the NJEA, in its practiced chorus of "no, no no" ain't having none of it. That sort of resistance just doesn't pass the smell test.

As for priorities...I'd say the Lesniak/Kean tax credit scholarship bill should be a front runner, because it's the kind of thing that needs to be done quickly, and because there's a great deal of support for it. In parallel...any charter school reforms the department can enact on its own. Then, revisiting the charter school law and possibly the "dollars follow the child" concept in the school funding formula. These, followed by a series of steps around transparency and teacher quality that pair with the state's second bite at the Race to the Top apple, are all good stuff.