In the Nov. 24 wood pulp edition of the Kansas City Star, columnist Steve Rose writes about Governor Chris Christie's efforts to rein in teacher tenure in New Jersey. Christie is a very astute politician. So, if he, a likely presidential aspirant, is citing teacher tenure as among his highest achievements, you can bet that this has been polled and found to be extremely popular and a high priority among a significant number of Republicans, and possibly independents. Rose then compares Christie's New Jersey with Missouri and Kansas, "where firing a tenured teacher with 'due process' is a virtual impossibility." Mr. Rose packs a lot into his 565-word column. If you think teacher tenure locks in mediocrity, then read Rose's column. Jon N. Hall is a programmer/analyst from Kansas City. (Read Full Post)