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In the News
January 18, 2012
New Haven Register

 Connecticut lost ground in the annual ranking of state laws that govern charter schools, mainly because other states such as Maine and New Mexico passed more progressive reforms in the past year.

January 15, 2012
Hartford Courant

 When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy put education reform on the front burner for 2012, he caught a wave of public sentiment that has been building for a couple of years in every corner of the state. Everybody from superintendents and the state's largest teachers union to business leaders, advocacy groups, parents and political leaders wants to improve the state's public schools.

January 15, 2012
CT Now / Fox 61

"Major education reforms for Connecticut are planned for this year, and I'm here with Michael Sharpe, Director of Jamoke Academy, one of the fastest rising charter schools in Connecticut, in Hartford, [and] Patrick Riccards, the new CEO/President of ConnCAN..."

January 8, 2012
CT News Junkie

By Patrick Riccards, CEO, ConnCAN

Last week, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made a passionate case for why we all must commit to education reform in 2012. Speaking at his education reform summit, the governor made clear that school improvement is a team effort, requiring the involvement of all stakeholders.

January 4, 2012
Connecticut Post

About the only top slot the constitution state still clings to is "largest achievement gap in the nation."

So educational reform advocates say much is riding on Malloy's pledge that 2012 will be the year of education reform.

Malloy is hosting an Education Workshop Thursday at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Many invited are convinced the policies that begin to take shape there may lead to legislation that can transform the state's failing schools and ultimately assist in growing the economy.

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ConnCAN applauds passage of Race to the Top bill

SB 438 represents breakthrough for Connecticut education reform movement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- May 05, 2010
Contact: 
Karen Rutzick, ConnCAN
Tel: 
203-772-4017 x19
Cell: 
202-406-0456
Email: 
Karen.Rutzick@conncan.org
Hartford, Conn

ConnCAN applauds Connecticut legislators for passing SB 438 to make Connecticut more competitive in the federal Race to the Top and help close the state’s achievement gap.

“Today is a breakthrough for the Connecticut education reform movement,” said ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston. “These policies would have been unimaginable just five years ago, but they are on their way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law today.”

For the first time, every district in the state is required to evaluate teachers based on their students’ achievement. There will be a data system that links students to their teachers and teachers to their training programs. There will be pathways for our most talented classroom teachers to become principals. There will be no caps on the number of seats allowed in high-performing public charter schools.

Because Connecticut started so far behind in the Race to the Top, this bill may not be enough to win in Round 2 of the Race to the Top and bring home $175 million for public schools.

Three key reforms proposed by ConnCAN would have made Connecticut more competitive in the Race to the Top but were not included in SB 438. Student achievement is not required to be the primary factor in teacher evaluations. There are no consequences attached to teachers whose students don’t achieve. We did not address the unsustainable and unequal funding system for our public charter schools.

This bill is a good start, but gubernatorial leadership will be necessary to ensure that these steps are the beginning, not the end of change in our public schools. ConnCAN’s attention now turns to the race for Governor to make sure that every candidate prioritizes education reforms.

Connecticut was rejected from the first round of Race to the Top. Second round applications for the remaining $3.4 billion available in the competition for public school reform are due on June 1. Winners will be announced in September.

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The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) is an advocacy organization building a new movement of concerned Connecticut citizens working to create fundamental change in our education system. To learn more visit: www.conncan.org. 

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