Bridgeport · In the State

Republican Chris Taylor Wins Recount In Bridgeport: What Will This Mean For Students?

After Wednesday’s recount, Bridgeport’s Board of Education make up will be dramatically different — now the question is,  what will that mean for students? For years, the Park city’s school board has been made up of two clear factions: Members decidedly against school choice and the mayor — Maria Pereira, Howard Gardner, Sauda Baraka and… Continue reading Republican Chris Taylor Wins Recount In Bridgeport: What Will This Mean For Students?

Bridgeport · In the State

Bassick HS Principal Decision: Is This What Happens When AFT Connecticut “Defuses” Parent Trigger?

Connecticut’s parent trigger law, passed in 2010, was supposed to empower parents — but if what’s going on at Bassick High School in Bridgeport is any indication the law isn’t working the way it should. Last week, it was announced that Bassick is getting a new principal. The tenth in less than a decade and… Continue reading Bassick HS Principal Decision: Is This What Happens When AFT Connecticut “Defuses” Parent Trigger?

Bridgeport

A Powerful Message From A Bridgeport Teacher In The Wake Of A Police Shooting: These Kids Need Our Help

This past week has been difficult for Bridgeport. On Tuesday, a young boy was killed. 15-year-old Jayson Negron was fatally shot by police, after a block-long pursuit in an allegedly stolen car. His body was left on the street, handcuffed and uncovered for over 7 hours. I wanted to share with my readers a Facebook… Continue reading A Powerful Message From A Bridgeport Teacher In The Wake Of A Police Shooting: These Kids Need Our Help

Bridgeport · In the State

Guest Post: “Parents Must Get Involved In The Fight For Quality Public Education”

Originally posted on the ConnCAN Blog, this is a guest post from Bridgeport parent Jessica Martinez. Jessica is longtime local education activist and the lead plaintiff in Martinez V. Malloy — a lawsuit currently in the federal courts that challenge the state’s moratorium on magnet schools and charter school cap.  —- As a mother in… Continue reading Guest Post: “Parents Must Get Involved In The Fight For Quality Public Education”

Bridgeport · In the State

A History Of Inequity & Resistance: Community and Legislators Get Together For Round Table On Education Justice

What are the emerging patterns of control and resistance? How does the history [of education inequity] connect to issues you identified as being most important? These are just some of the questions a room of about a hundred attendees contemplated at Housatonic Community College last Saturday morning — the start of what Founder and Organizing… Continue reading A History Of Inequity & Resistance: Community and Legislators Get Together For Round Table On Education Justice

Bridgeport · In the State

On Eve Of Trump’s Inauguration, In Bridgeport, Immigrant Justice Activists Rallied For Education Equity and Sanctuary

On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, a group often overlooked demanded to be heard: Bridgeport’s Spanish-speaking and immigrant parents. Yesterday, about a dozen parents and students organized by Make The Road, an immigrants’ rights group, marched in front of Bassick High School — one of lowest performing high schools in the state — brandishing… Continue reading On Eve Of Trump’s Inauguration, In Bridgeport, Immigrant Justice Activists Rallied For Education Equity and Sanctuary

Bridgeport · Hartford · In the State

Education Bills To Watch: Rundown Of What’s Been Proposed By The State Legislature So Far

The General Assembly’s Education Committee met for the first time during the 2017 legislative session this afternoon. While, it’s bit early to tell what will happen this session, even at this juncture, there are already important education issues on the table. Here’s a quick rundown of a few education bills to watch in upcoming session:… Continue reading Education Bills To Watch: Rundown Of What’s Been Proposed By The State Legislature So Far

Bridgeport · In the State

Bridgeport Teachers Speak Out On Effects Of High Superintendent Turnover

Over the last year, the state’s three largest school districts – Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford – abruptly lost their superintendents to resignation. This revolving door of school leaders is nothing new for Connecticut’s urban school districts and unfortunately, falls in line with trends across the country. Hartford has gone through nearly a dozen superintendents over… Continue reading Bridgeport Teachers Speak Out On Effects Of High Superintendent Turnover

In the State

State Advisory Council On Teacher Evaluations Ignores Groundbreaking Equity Ruling:  Votes To Continue Watered-Down Teacher Evaluations

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the quote: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It’s worth repeating for Connecticut’s Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC). A few months after Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher called the state’s current teacher evaluation system “little more than cotton… Continue reading State Advisory Council On Teacher Evaluations Ignores Groundbreaking Equity Ruling:  Votes To Continue Watered-Down Teacher Evaluations

In the State

A New Way To Fund Special Education: CT School Finance Project Proposes Way To Fix Broken Special Education Funding

What does Arkansas, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Connecticut have in common? Other than being a seemingly random list of states, the founder of the Connecticut School Finance Project Katie Roy says these four states are the only four in the national without a clear system for funding special education. This dysfunction has real consequences. Last… Continue reading A New Way To Fund Special Education: CT School Finance Project Proposes Way To Fix Broken Special Education Funding