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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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Connecticut leaves 120 blanks in Race to the Top application

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- February 22, 2010
Contact: 
Karen Rutzick, ConnCAN
Tel: 
203-772-4017 x19
Cell: 
202-406-0456
Email: 
Karen.Rutzick@conncan.org
New Haven, Conn

A new analysis released today by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), reveals that Connecticut left 120 blanks in its Round 1 Race to the Top application, underscoring the need for lawmakers to pass reforms to improve the state’s standing before Round 2.

Download ConnCAN’s new analysis, “Race to the Top Round 1: Leaving it Blank.”

“It’s as if Connecticut were a high school student applying to college with a transcript full of incompletes,” said Alex Johnston, ConnCAN Chief Executive Officer. “This analysis is a wake-up call for Connecticut lawmakers. We have three months left in the legislative session to pass real education reforms to make our state competitive in the Race to the Top and close our worst-in-the-nation achievement gap.”

In January, Connecticut applied for the first round of the Race to the Top, the federal government’s highly coveted $4 billion competition to reward states that aggressively reform their public schools.

The Race to the Top application asks states to set targets to explain how they would meet specific reform goals. But, as ConnCAN’s analysis reveals, where other states provided specific, measurable goals in 24 categories over five years resulting in 120 blanks, Connecticut just left these answers incomplete. ConnCAN’s analysis stacks Connecticut’s application against three states—Colorado, Delaware and Florida—in three reform areas within the Race to the Top to provide a snapshot of the Connecticut application’s shortcomings.

Round 2 of the Race to the Top is due June 1. ConnCAN’s campaign, “Our Race to the Top,” is calling for four reforms to help Connecticut win the Race to the Top: measuring effectiveness, superstar principals, world-class standards and money follows the child.

Detailed policy goals and other information are available at www.ourracetothetop.org.

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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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