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In the News
May 18, 2012
Fairfield County Business Journal

With new federal data showing continued, middle-of-the-pack performance by Connecticut schools, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy found the middle ground among competing interests for a landmark education law.

For once, teachers were not front and center in the debate.

May 8, 2012
Wall Street Journal

HARTFORD—In a sweeping education deal with lawmakers and teacher unions here, Gov. Dannel Malloy gave ground on some of his farthest-reaching proposals but contended the compromise was still a historic overhaul of public-school policy in a state that has proved resistant to change.

May 8, 2012
Hartford Courant

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Monday night that his administration and lawmakers had reached an agreement on "meaningful education reform" — an agreement that he said adds nearly $100 million in new education spending and will help the state regain its competitive edge.

May 8, 2012
CT News Junkie

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Democratic legislative leaders celebrated what they called an “historic” agreement on a sweeping education reform proposal that believe will help Connecticut erase its largest-in-the-nation achievement gap.

At a 10 p.m. press conference, Malloy told a packed room of reformers and leaders of at least one of the state’s teacher unions that the bill the Senate is expected to take up later this evening is just a beginning.

May 7, 2012
The Hanging Shad

Say this for Gov. Dannel Malloy, love his policies or hate them, he has largely gotten what he wants in his first year and a half in office. He pushed through the largest tax increase in state history after inheriting a $3 billion-plus disaster of a state budget; he was able to wring desperately needed concessions out of the state employee unions (after first failing); he instituted the “First Five” job-creation program; and won hard-fought approval for the Jackson Labs economic development project..

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ConnCAN statement on CEA’s “A View From The Classroom”

Encouraging steps forward, but plan does not go far enough
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- January 3, 2012
Contact: 
Jessica Bloom, ConnCAN
Tel: 
203-772-4017 x19
Email: 
jessica.bloom@conncan.org
Hartford, CT

The Connecticut Education Association today released its “A View from the Classroom” plan, the union’s roadmap for education reform in Connecticut. The plan covers many key areas for improving Connecticut’s public schools, while recognizing the need for education reform across the state.

 
“ConnCAN applauds the CEA for stretching beyond its historical bounds by identifying a crucial list of priorities for improving the way we educate our students. We are particularly excited about the group’s emphasis on educator accountability through fair and robust evaluation systems, tying those evaluations to staffing decisions, improving the professional status of teachers, and looking to successful schools around the state – including schools of choice – as learning labs that can identify and share successful practices."
 
While there are several components worth celebrating, the CEA’s plan doesn’t go far enough to outline specific pathways for improving student achievement. “We must ensure that every child – regardless of race, family income, or zip code – has access to great public schools and ultimately graduates from high school with the knowledge and skills to succeed in both college and career,” said Riccards. “To achieve this, we must ensure Connecticut’s education improvement efforts are focused on the student and on student outcomes.
 
“The CEA is absolutely correct in that student achievement data should not be the sole measure of educator effectiveness. But how our kids perform should be the primary indicator. Ultimately, the success of our state, our schools, our teachers, and our kids is based on performance and student outcomes. We must not lose sight of that as we build a truly effective teacher evaluation model,” Riccards said.
 
“Additionally, when it comes to school funding, the focus should be on how we spend the dollars we already have, rather than suggesting that more money needs to come before we make any other changes. Since 2003, Connecticut has increased school spending by 20% while student achievement has remained flat. More money without a clear plan for improving student outcomes isn’t going to get us anywhere.
 

 

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