Published by Connecticut Post, December 10, 2010

Dear Gov.-elect Malloy,

On Nov. 16, a partnership led by the Bridgeport Public Education Fund and the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition with support from Bridgeport Alliance for Young Children, Regional Youth/Adult Social Action Partnership, School Volunteer Association, and Bridgeport Partnership for Student Success held a panel presentation on the report issued by the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement. Over 150 people, from across the state, attended the presentation at Housatonic Community College. Commissioners David Carson, Carla Klein, Dudley Williams, and Co-Executive Director Shana Kennedy were the panelists.

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By Rick Green

Published by Hartford Courant, December 10, 2010

Reformer needed to address state’s school issues

The most critical selection Gov.-elect Dan Malloy will make for his administration will be the toughest.

Connecticut’s next commissioner of education must make bold changes while also placating powerful teacher unions and their political supporters.

The difficult questions facing Connecticut — how will municipalities pay for education, where will our future workforce come from, is it possible to shrink the worst-in-the-nation achievement gap between white and minority students? — are wrapped up in our public schools.

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Published by Hartford Courant, November 24, 2010

Connecticut’s academic achievement gap lasts all the way through senior year of high school and remains the largest in the nation, a school reform group says.

ConnCAN, an education advocacy group, said its analysis shows that the state’s low-income and minority 12th-graders performed about three grade levels behind their white, middle-class peers on national test results released last week.

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By Abbe Smith, Register Staff

Published by New Haven Register, November 24, 2010

Two education reports issued this month offer some positive news about schools across the state, but highlight the persistent problem of a wide achievement gap in Connecticut.

The results are in from a national math and reading test given for the first time to high school seniors throughout Connecticut, and students performed better than the national average.

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By Kathleen Megan

Published by Hartford Courant, November 19, 2010

In 1990, Connecticut ranked first among states in people with bachelor’s degrees; now it’s fourth

Connecticut continues to have one of the most-educated populations in the country, but according to the latest data from the U.S. Census, its ranking nationally has slipped.

The data released this fall as part of the U.S. Census American Community Survey rank Connecticut fourth among states in the percentage of adults 25 and older with bachelor’s degrees; for advanced degrees, its ranking is third.

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Published by Education Week, November 1, 2010

New recommendations on how to narrow the state’s gaping achievement gap met with cautious approval among local education leaders, but concerns remain about the cost of implementing reforms.

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Proposals put forth last week by the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement, a panel formed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to recommend ways to close the achievement gap between affluent/white and poor/minority students in the state, deserve close study.

Connecticut’s achievement gap is the largest in the nation. Closing the gap is essential to the state’s future and is a matter of basic human rights…

Read the full story here.

Published by New Haven Register, October 21, 2010

The governor-appointed Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement has released a long list of recommendations for how the state can close its lingering achievement gap.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell established the commission in March with a mission of looking at why Connecticut has one of the worst achievement gaps in the country.

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Saying that black and Latino kids are falling behind peers not just in New Haven but in Greenwich, business leaders unveiled a statewide plan to close the achievement gap over 10 years through extra tutoring, mandatory pre-K, and longer school days. among other ideas.

‘The winds of change are in the air’ for education reform, said Steven Simmons (pictured), who chaired the commission, citing President Obama’s ‘Race To The Top’ program for education reform. ‘We think there’s a window of opportunity here to begin to narrow the gap.’

Simmons predicted if the recommendations are implemented in the next decade, the state’s struggling students will catch up to their peers.

Read the full story here.

A state-appointed education committee says it has a ten-year plan to help reduce Connecticut’s achievement gap between low-income students and their peers, which it says is the worst in the country….

Read the full story here.