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In the News
Bridgeport school to celebrate improvement
March 11, 2010
Connecticut Post
By Linda Conner Lambeck
It's nearly century-old ceilings are covered with chipping paint and it's hardwood floors are warped. No matter that its tattered home dates to 1914, Hall School has something to celebrate.
Among elementary schools in the state where at least three-quarters of the student body has low-income or minority background, Hall students ranked first last year when it came to overall improvement on the Connecticut Mastery Test.
New panel tackles gap in learning
March 9, 2010
New Haven Register
By Elizabeth Benton
Gov. M. Jodi Rell has formed a new commission aimed at closing the achievement gap between minority and low-income students and their white and higher-income peers.
The 11-member commission draws heavily from the business and philanthropic fields, and is led by Greenwich businessman and children’s book author Steven J. Simmons.
School's shake-up is embraced by the President
March 6, 2010
New York Times
By Steven Greenhouse and Sam Dillon
A Rhode Island school board’s decision to fire the entire faculty of a poorly performing school, and President Obama’s endorsement of the action, has stirred a storm of reaction nationwide, with teachers condemning it as an insult and conservatives hailing it as a watershed moment of school accountability.
Three Bridgeport schools recognized as 'success stories'
March 6, 2010
Bridgeport News
Three of Bridgeport public schools — Hall School, High Horizons Magnet School and Multicultural Magnet School — have been selected as 2010 ConnCAN “Success Story” schools.
ConnCan is the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, a statewide education reform advocacy organization.
Each year, ConnCAN recognizes schools around the state that are leading the way in raising student achievement and helping to close Connecticut’s achievement gap.
Starting the race over
March 5, 2010
Connecticut Mirror
By Robert Frahm
Hoping for a second chance at millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for school reform, state lawmakers enlisted the help Thursday of education groups whose views are often at odds.
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A team of education reformers.
Alex Johnston
Chief Executive Officer
Alex Johnston is Chief Executive Officer of ConnCAN. As ConnCAN’s first employee, Alex launched what is now regarded as one of the nation’s leading state-level education reform organizations. In the five years since, he has led ConnCAN’s effort to advocate for state policies that will ensure every Connecticut child has access to a great public school. In 2009, ConnCAN achieved three major legislative victories through its ‘Mind the Gaps’ campaign: overhauling the state’s teacher certification rules, opening up stores of longitudinal student achievement data to the public and securing $8 million of funding for the expansion of high-performing public charter schools in the midst of an $8 billion state budget deficit.
Before helping to found ConnCAN, Alex Johnston directed operations at the New Haven Housing Authority, working as a member of the management team tasked with turning the agency around from the brink of receivership. A graduate of Harvard University, Alex received a D. Phil. in politics from Oxford’s Lincoln College on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he studied the impact of government funding on nonprofit service providers. Alex serves on the state commission charged with developing Connecticut’s P-20 data system, is a member of the National Charter School Resource Center Advisory Board and sits on the New Haven Board of Education.
Alex.Johnston@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 11
@Alex_Johnston
Marc Porter Magee
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining ConnCAN, Marc worked in Washington, D.C., as research director of the Partnership for Public Service, founding director of the Progressive Policy Institute's Center for Civic Enterprise, and as a contributing editor of the policy journal Blueprint. He is co-editor, with Will Marshall, of the book The AmeriCorps Experiment and the Future of National Service (PPI) and serves as an advisory board member of the Edwin Gould Foundation. Marc is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his Ph.D. in sociology from Duke University.
Marc.Magee@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 14
@marcportermagee
WHY I'M HERE I have always loved politics and the idea that citizens coming together can solve problems that up until now people have taken for granted as simply “the way things are.” Being at ConnCAN means having no doubt that your work matters and spending your workdays with passionate, creative, driven people committed to making the world a little more just.
Ronald Jarrett
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
Prior to joining ConnCAN, Ronald Jarrett was deputy director of information services for New York State Senate Minority Leader (now New York State Governor) David Paterson. In this position, Ron managed grassroots and organizational campaigns supporting state legislation. Previously, he was an editor at Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Ron received a J.D. from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Ronald.Jarrett@conncan.org
860.727.9977 ext. 16
WHY I'M HERE As an Army brat, I traveled a lot and attended 18 schools between Kindergarten and 12th grade. I want to make sure that no matter what kind of public school a child attends, the adults entrusted to provide a high-quality education are doing just that.
Lisa Whitfield
Executive Officer for Human Resources and Operations
Before joining ConnCAN, Lisa Whitfield worked as a corporate legal office manager. Prior to that, Lisa was director/educator of the Business Management Program for a college-level proprietary school. She is a graduate of the University of New Haven.
Lisa.Whitfield@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 18
WHY I'M HERE The success of this great world’s future depends on generations after us having access to great public schools…and that is why I work at ConnCAN. Everyday, my passion is satisfied and fulfilled because I am part of an organization that champions and advocates for education reform.
Karen Rutzick
Communications Director
Before joining ConnCAN, Karen worked in Washington, D.C. as communications manager for the Save Darfur Coalition. Previously, Karen was a staff correspondent for National Journal's Government Executive Magazine and a desk assistant for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Karen is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.
Karen.Rutzick@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 19
@krutzick
WHY I'M HERE I came to ConnCAN from Washington, D.C. and an international human rights background. I’m proud that America has long served as an inspiration of freedom and human rights to the world, and I think it will take citizen vigilance — on key human rights issues at home like our shameful achievement gap — to keep our country inspirational.
Adena Silberstein
Development Director
Before joining ConnCAN, Adena studied American Jewish History at New York University, where she is a doctoral candidate. She also worked as an editorial intern at the New Haven Register. Previously, Adena was a senior fellow at the American Jewish Committee. She is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University and a Wexner Graduate Fellow.
Adena.Silberstein@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 12
WHY I'M HERE As a student of 20th century American Jewish History, I know just how powerful public education can be: a hundred years ago, millions of Eastern European Jewish immigrants achieved formerly unimaginable success thanks to America’s urban public schools. We need to make sure that our public schools do now what they did then – provide every child, no matter their ethnicity, race, or class, with the tools to succeed.
Tori Truscheit
Research and Policy Manager
Before joining ConnCAN, Tori Truscheit taught in New York City through Teach for America. She then taught at Elm City College Prep, an Achievement First public charter school in New Haven. Tori graduated from Yale University and received a master’s degree in teaching from Pace University.
Tori.Truscheit@conncan.org
203.772.4017 x 4
WHY I'M HERE In my first week as a sixth grade teacher in New York City, I discovered that most of my kids read on a third-grade level or below - the system had failed them. Teachers are powerful, but I'm at ConnCAN because I want every kid to get a great education, and that will take fundamental state policy change.
Jessica Stram
Government Affairs Manager
Prior to her arrival at ConnCAN, Jessica was a public policy intern for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, where she conducted research for their national anti-bullying legislative campaign. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and her master’s degree in public policy and administration from Southern Connecticut State University.
Jessica.Stram@conncan.org
203.772.4017 ext. 23
WHY I'M HERE I enjoy being a part of ConnCAN because our movement is capable of making real change that will directly impact the students of Connecticut. I’m excited to be working with the political leaders of our state to make sure that each child has a terrific public school.
WHY I'M HERE I went to the New Haven housing authority to tackle poverty through affordable housing, but one of the surprises of that job was witnessing the impact of amazing charter schools like Achievement First on the kids living in my developments. Rewarding as it was to help the housing authority’s residents reclaim their communities from years of neglect, once I began to appreciate how powerful schools could be in turning the cycle of poverty on its head, I was hooked.