Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy returned to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday morning to take part in a “special town hall meeting,” held at Fort Lee High School in Fort Lee, N.J. to discuss how states are working to improve schools.
Hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, joined by Harold Ford Jr. and Jon Meacham, held the forum to discuss policies and reforms to improve schools, and how to combat bullying in schools.
Malloy, who appeared alongside Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, touted his educational reform act and said the state’s achievement gap, if you draw a line along income, is the largest in the nation.
“We’re a very urban state, but we can’t afford in some of our urban environments to fail or to be failing 40 to 60 percent of our students,” Malloy said, “Particularly in a small state where, quite frankly, we failed to grow jobs for a long period of time.”
Malloy, who held his own town hall the night before in Hartford, the first in a series he will hold around the state, said he wants to create a class of “master teachers,” who excel in the classroom and should be recognized and rewarded for that success.
He also said there should be a focus on replicating what does work well, for example, charter schools in Stamford.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has traded barbs with Malloy through appearances on “Morning Joe,” in the past, appeared before Malloy.