"Romney faces tough questions on education proposals" May 25, 2012
PHILADELPHIA - If praise was what he was looking for, Mitt Romney had a hard time
finding any at the Universal Bluford Charter School in West
Philadelphia, a largely African-American neighborhood facing economic,
educational, and social challenges. Romney wants to deny a second term
to the nation’s first black president, whose photograph hung in one of
the school’s hallways.
Local education leader Abdur-Rahim Islam pushed back, telling Romney that two-parent families are unrealistic in the community....
In response, Romney cited a study by the McKinsey consulting firm, which he said examined education systems in foreign countries and concluded that class size was not a significant issue.
While he struggled to win over the group, Romney does not necessarily expect to do well in Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold. Nor does the campaign expect to steal a significant block of the African-American vote from Obama in what is shaping up to be a close election.
But coming off a divisive Republican primary that was dominated by staunch conservatives, Romney is eager to expand his appeal to independents and moderate voters in swing states like Pennsylvania, where Obama defeated his Republican opponent by 10 points in 2008.
Romney returned to Massachusetts Thursday night for a fund-raiser at the home of John Connaughton, a former colleague at Bain Capital.
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Related: Mitt Romney proposes overhaul of US education system