First the good news. The chances of a Connecticut student succeeding when they leave high school are among the best in the nation, and the state spends more for each student than almost every other state after factoring in the region’s higher cost of living, according to a national report card released Thursday by Education Week.
Now the bad news.
Connecticut has one of the worst grades for holding their schools accountable, earning a 60 percent. While most states provide rewards to high-performing or improving schools, Connecticut does not. The state also lags behind most states in providing assistance and having state sanctions for low-performing schools.
The report also says that in addition to the state’s falling short on evaluating teachers, it also fails to evaluate teacher preparation programs and check up on how their graduates perform in the classroom. The state also lacks incentives to get teachers into high-need schools.
Here is the link to a snapshot of how the state is doing. The complete report on Connecticut is available here behind a pay wall. The state’s overall grade is a C+, ranking Connecticut 16th best system in the country by Education Weeks Standards.