Hartford, Connecticut – Today, September 7th, Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher ruled on an almost-11-year-old case about the constitutionality of Connecticut’s education finance system: Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding (CCJEF) v. Rell. Judge Moukawsher ruled that Connecticut’s process for allocating education funding is irrational and unconstitutional. In response to the ruling, Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), made the following statement:

“CCER agrees with Judge Moukawsher’s finding that Connecticut’s approach to funding public education is irrational. We have repeatedly pointed to the unclear and unjust manner of distributing education dollars through the state’s Education Cost Sharing formula. And as unjust as that formula is, Connecticut has not even been using it of late—relying instead on an ad hoc and highly politicized distribution of funds to districts. When gaps in achievement loom as large as they do in Connecticut, it’s patently unfair to underfund these school districts.

“But it is especially noteworthy that Judge Moukawsher did not merely call for additional spending, rather choosing to emphasize the various ways in which our system needs to be re-worked. I am struck by the similarities between Judge Moukawsher’s apparent outlook and CCER’s policy agenda. An offshoot of a gubernatorial commission convened to find solutions to Connecticut’s unenviable achievement gap, CCER has consistently advocated for holistic reform of the public education system, including the need to make our funding structures more transparent and equitable—but not stopping there.Read More »

Hartford, Connecticut – Today, August 18, 2016, the Connecticut State Department of Education released preliminary results for the 2016 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC), which has now been administered twice in Connecticut. The results show improvements in both English Language Arts and Math across the state—with the percentage of students who meet expectations in both subjects improving by over three percentage points. In response, Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) made the following statement:

“It is very encouraging to learn that the second administration of the SBAC has revealed improved academic outcomes for students in both English and Math. Based on these measurable results, we—as a state—must continue our commitment to implementing rigorous standards for both teachers and students. If we want to improve upon these positive trends, Connecticut public school districts must remain focused on high-quality learning experiences for their students and meaningful professional development opportunities for their educators.

“Although today’s results are generally positive, our analysis still suggests that we have much work to do in narrowing gaps in achievement: even though the state saw improvement across the board, the pace of improvement has been faster for White students than students of color. This should remind us all of the need to identify and scale practices that work for our highest-need student groups.

“Notably, almost half of the state’s lowest-performing districts have improved at even faster rates than the state. These “Alliance Districts” are part of a program that has provided increased state-level oversight and significant additional funding. While today’s results demonstrate the promise of that effort, we now need to unpack which actions are making a difference within these high-need districts. CCER is currently undertaking a research study of the Alliance District program since its inception in 2012. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures, we hope to identify impactful initiatives and make recommendations for further refining the state’s intervention model.

“Overall, we are certainly heartened by these preliminary data. Now, we must demand year-over-year improvement if we are to close Connecticut’s worst-in-the-nation achievement gap. Our students deserve nothing less.”

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New Haven, Connecticut – Today, August 3, 2016, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) released the results of the first administration of Connecticut SAT School Day, in which all 11^th grade public school students took the newly redesigned SAT. This was part of a statewide effort to eliminate testing burden and increase equity by replacing the statewide assessment with the college entrance exam. In response to the release of the results, Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), made the following statement:

“Simply put, these results aren’t good enough. But they are not surprising either. Connecticut can do so much better for its students. The SAT results highlight two major problems in our state: first, that we have made little improvement addressing our massive gaps in achievement—whether you’re comparing the performance of low-income students or students of color to their peers. Second, we have failed to make the systemic changes that are necessary to produce real, measurable improvement.

“For years now, Connecticut has had one of the worst achievement gaps in the country, as demonstrated by the National Assessment for Educational Progress. These SAT results are yet another dataset in a long stream of tests that continue to identify a serious problem with public education in our state. In fact, last year’s 2015 Smarter Balanced (SBAC) results showed similar trends across the state: wide gaps in achievement across economic and racial lines. It seems like, no matter which data you choose, these gaps jump out as a problem. Make no mistake: the failure to close these gaps is not reflective of these students’ abilities; rather, it is a systemic failure.

“The SAT results released today also indicate a worrisome trend about Connecticut’s math instruction, a trend that was mirrored by last year’s SBAC results. The development of math skills requires a strong foundation, rigorous instruction, and aligned curricula year-over-year. Right now, with 60% of our students not meeting expectations in math, it’s clear that something is seriously wrong with our system. It is not enough just to adopt standards. We must invest in the development and consistent implementation of a high-quality curriculum. We must provide teachers with the training and tools necessary to teach these skills. We must ensure that students have the time and support necessary to successfully master the curriculum. And, finally, we must prepare school leaders who can set the stage for these things to happen.

“When Connecticut students graduate high school, they should already be on a path to success, and these data show that they aren’t. As a state, we have to react to data points like these by seeking solutions. Our state has a lot of work to do.”

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