Tag: CT

What Happens If The State Doesn’t Pass A Budget? The Answer Is Deep Cuts For Schools
Budgets · In the State

What Happens If The State Doesn’t Pass A Budget? The Answer Is Deep Cuts For Schools

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Connecticut’s General Assembly was unable to come to a budget agreement by the legislature’s June 30th deadline. The good news is, unlike places like New Jersey and Maine, we didn’t have a government shut down. Our state is still functioning because Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed an Executive Order Resource Allocation Plan. Unfortunately, when it comes… Continue reading What Happens If The State Doesn’t Pass A Budget? The Answer Is Deep Cuts For Schools

Feds Call Out Connecticut’s School Accountability Plan: Should State Also Be Looking At Whether Students Meet Grade Level?
In the State

Feds Call Out Connecticut’s School Accountability Plan: Should State Also Be Looking At Whether Students Meet Grade Level?

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Last year, Connecticut changed their school accountability system, updating the way student test scores factor into school ratings. Previously, schools were graded on how many kids met grade level expectations, now the state looks solely at growth data. Sounds great — but is this is this really the best way to measure whether schools are… Continue reading Feds Call Out Connecticut’s School Accountability Plan: Should State Also Be Looking At Whether Students Meet Grade Level?

New Haven Students Want Their Voices Heard: “The Youth Is Our Revolution”
New Haven

New Haven Students Want Their Voices Heard: “The Youth Is Our Revolution”

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High School students in New Haven are telling the adults to listen. And, we should. A group of around a hundred students from High School in the Community, Wilbur Cross Metropolitan Business Academy, and Cooperative Arts, held a rally on New Haven’s green, on Monday, issuing a series of demands that include more student representation,… Continue reading New Haven Students Want Their Voices Heard: “The Youth Is Our Revolution”

The Myth Of Magical Whiteness: Isn’t Intentionally Leaving Sheff Magnet Seats Empty Missing The Point?
Hartford · In the State

The Myth Of Magical Whiteness: Isn’t Intentionally Leaving Sheff Magnet Seats Empty Missing The Point?

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Someone once told me, white kids aren’t magic pixie dust that you can sprinkle on a school to make it better. That might seem like an abrasive statement, but it’s what sticks in my mind when thinking about the mindset that has allowed Hartford to develop a system of desegregation that shuts out half of… Continue reading The Myth Of Magical Whiteness: Isn’t Intentionally Leaving Sheff Magnet Seats Empty Missing The Point?

CT Parents Union Founder Tells State To Do Their Job: Asks That They Follow Up On Child Abuse Report
Hartford · In the State

CT Parents Union Founder Tells State To Do Their Job: Asks That They Follow Up On Child Abuse Report

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In case you’re wondering how done parents are with Connecticut’s State Board Of Education, Connecticut Parents Union founder Gwen Samuel explained it — in detail —  on Wednesday morning at their monthly meeting. Here’s the video of her testimony:

“Parents have to know that you are reading about their abuse and neglect,” to the state board of education during public comments. She’s talking about an Office of the Child Advocate report on mandated reporting that was released a few weeks ago. The report found that Hartford Public Schools routinely and systematically ignored allegations of child abuse. 

Since the report’s release, Hartford Public Schools responded by releasing an Action Plan, but Samuel says this doesn’t go far enough. 

“Do what you were appointed to do,” said Samuel, who wants the state board to step up and ensure that districts are complying with state law, referencing the groundbreaking CCJEF v. Rell ruling.  According to Superior Judge Thomas Moukawsher, the state has a “non-delegable” responsibility to provide free public education. Samuel argues this extends to protecting children from abuse — as it should.

Charter Parents Stage Silent Plea To Save Their Children’s Schools
In the State

Charter Parents Stage Silent Plea To Save Their Children’s Schools

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On Tuesday afternoon, hidden throughout the Connecticut State Legislative Office Building stood parents and students waging a silent protest. “I want what was promised,” said Elizabeth Moore, a Stamford parent of three, who was one of nearly a dozen parents who stood for over two hours in silence, with black ribbon over their mouths, holding… Continue reading Charter Parents Stage Silent Plea To Save Their Children’s Schools

Connecticut Teachers Union Launches Extremely Misleading (And Transparent) Attack On Charter Schools
In the State

Connecticut Teachers Union Launches Extremely Misleading (And Transparent) Attack On Charter Schools

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Thursday, the state’s largest teachers union, the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), published a report conducted by Rodriguez Data Solutions, LLC, an independent research firm — in layman’s terms: probably a paid consultant — that calls out charter schools for “diverting” funds meant for children to charter management organizations (CMOs). The document specifically targets Achievement First, one of… Continue reading Connecticut Teachers Union Launches Extremely Misleading (And Transparent) Attack On Charter Schools

New Haven Register: Black Principals Discuss Fostering Student Success And Their Roles As School Leaders
New Haven

New Haven Register: Black Principals Discuss Fostering Student Success And Their Roles As School Leaders

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Research shows that diverse schools and classrooms benefit all students, yet, in Connecticut, some students go through their entire education without ever being taught by a teacher of color. Minority teacher recruitment has been a persistent issue in Connecticut (and the country as a whole) but one district has made some strides, at least in terms… Continue reading New Haven Register: Black Principals Discuss Fostering Student Success And Their Roles As School Leaders

State Of The State: Gov. Malloy Calls For New Way To Distribute Education Funding
In the State

State Of The State: Gov. Malloy Calls For New Way To Distribute Education Funding

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Today, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy did something that many other officials have seemed to refuse (Looking at you state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council) — he recognized the importance of Superior Court Judge Thomas Mouskawsher’s ruling in the CCJEF v. Rell case. During the opening of the legislative session, Malloy used his state-of-the-state address to set… Continue reading State Of The State: Gov. Malloy Calls For New Way To Distribute Education Funding