The 2011-12 Notre Dame Forum will bring New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to campus today to discuss education reform at the symposium, "Educational Innovation and the Law."
Nicole Stelle Garnett, Forum committee co-chair and law professor at Notre Dame, said she believes Christie will provide an important perspective to Notre Dame's yearlong conversation on K-12 education.
"Gov. Christie has proposed a bold agenda for education reform that seeks to change the status quo and ensure that all children in his state receive the high quality education they deserve," she said. "Not everyone agrees with his agenda, but he is worthy of respect for sparking debate in New Jersey and across the country about the important issue of education reform and innovation."
Christie will deliver his address, "Does the Law Impede Educational Innovation?" at 2:30 p.m.
The symposium will also include two panels that feature an "all-star lineup" of experts on the law of education, Garnett said.
The first panel, which begins at 8:30 a.m., will discuss some of the most pressing education policies currently facing the nation, including school choice, No Child Left Behind and President Obama's "Race to the Top" education agenda.
The second panel, which begins at noon, will confront the legal issues that face schools every day, Garnett said.
Garnett said the symposium will help bring to light how the law affects education reform in the United States.
"A system that is not working as well as it should be calls out for reforms featuring innovative new strategies, and the law provides the framework that structures those reforms," she said.
"This is an opportune time to discuss the role of the law in promoting the kinds of innovations that are needed to ensure all kids receive the education they deserve at the schools that will serve their needs best."
Garnett said the symposium will mark an important part of this year's Forum.
"We are facing an educational crisis in the United States, but we also are living through a great period of promising educational innovations, many of which are prompted and shaped by the law," she said. "The entire day promises to feature stimulating discussion about what we can do to improve the K-12 education system in the United States for all students, especially the least advantaged ones."
