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In the News
February 6, 2012
Wall Street Journal

 Connecticut would pump more money into charter schools and increase their numbers under a legislative proposal Gov. Dannel Malloy plans to unveil Monday.

February 5, 2012
Hartford Business Journal Online

 Thanks to its strong educational system and manufacturing industry, Connecticut will pace America’s high tech-sector for the next generation.

January 25, 2012
Hartford Courant

 After about two years of wrangling, a group representing teachers, school administrators and school boards agreed Wednesday on a new way to evaluate teachers that places a strong emphasis on student achievement.

Members of the state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council said the breakthrough in their discussions on the contentious issue occurred in the past few months under the leadership of Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor.

January 25, 2012
Connecticut Mirror

Years of disagreement have stalled efforts to grade teachers and dismiss those who are ineffective. That all changed Wednesday when a group of educators -- including teachers' unions, superintendent and school board groups -- agreed on how to properly evaluate teachers so those who are struggling are identified and put on a path to improve or be dismissed.

 

January 24, 2012
Associated Press

 Connecticut's policies to improve the quality of teaching in its public schools are mediocre at best, and particularly fall short in efforts to keep the best teachers and remove those who are ineffective, according to a new nationwide assessment of states' regulations. 

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Research

The State of Connecticut Public Education: A 2008 Report Card for Connecticut Public Schools

October, 2008
State of CT Public Education 2008 cover image
application/pdf iconStateOfCTPubEd_2008.pdf

Preface by Alex Johnston, Executive Director

For the last three years, ConnCAN has published an annual State of Connecticut Public Education report, taking a closer look at our state’s latest achievement data. After three years, many trends we highlighted in 2006 are still present, and our state’s most pressing economic and social issue remains: Connecticut has the largest achievement gap of any state in the country. But we’ve also seen progress in these three years, and there are encouraging signs in our largest cities that the hard work of many is beginning to show results.

The purpose of this report is to shed light on both the successes and challenges in our state’s public schools and to examine the underlying patterns in student achievement. Whether you’re a parent searching for the best public school for your child, an educator who wants to know how your district or school measures up, or a community leader looking for practical analysis, we hope this report is a useful starting point for discussion of how to increase student achievement in our state.
 

In a challenging economic period, we’re reminded that providing all of Connecticut’s students with a great education is the best way to maintain our state’s competitive edge in the 21st century. That’s why this year, the report also provides national and international context for our achievement data. Holding all public schools and districts to high benchmarks of success is the first step in ensuring that all children get the education they deserve—
and that all of us get the highest possible return on the public investment in our schools.
 

In addition to this research report, ConnCAN has published our 2008 School and District Report Cards
(www.ctreportcards.org), which give letter grades to more
than 1,000 schools and 160 districts in the state. New this year is “Mapping the Gap,” a compilation of maps that visually documents many of the issues in this report, also found on our website.
 

ConnCAN’s mission is to close the state’s achievement gap, and this report builds a foundation of research
to further the efforts of so many who are working hard every day to achieve that goal. I hope that this report helps further your understanding of Connecticut public education as a whole, and I invite you to contact me directly with your comments on this report and your thoughts on how to reach the common goal of “Great Schools for All.”

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