The state formula for aid to municipal school districts would be changed under the budget proposal.

Black students in Connecticut’s public schools are being taught by far more new, less-experienced teachers than their white peers.

In the 4th grade, 36 percent of black students are being taught by math teachers with less than five years in the classroom vs. 19 percent for white students. That gap was the largest in the nation for the last school year, the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm reported Tuesday.

Similar yawning gaps exist for black and white 8th graders. Hispanic students are also taught by less experienced teachers than their white peers, but the gap is slightly less than the national average.

See how other states compare here.

4th grade math students Taught by teacher w/ less than 1 year experience 1-5 years experience More than 5 years experience
White 4.3% 14.4% 81.3%
Black 7.8% 28.5% 63.8%
Hispanic 4.5% 20.2% 75.3%
Qualify for free meals 6.0% 20.0% 73.9%
Do not qualify for free meals 3.7% 15.2% 81.1%
With a disability 4.0% 20.3% 75.7%
w/o disability 4.7% 16.5% 78.7%
U.S. Department of Education

4th grade reading students Taught by teacher w/ less than 1 year experience 1-5 years experience More than 5 years experience
White 3.8% 14.6% 81.6%
Black 6.3% 16.5% 77.2%
Hispanic 5.8% 16.1% 78.1%
Qualify for free meals 6.4% 17.3% 76.3%
Do not qualify for free meals 3.3% 13.9% 82.8%
With a disability 2.9% 18.9% 78.2%
w/o disability 4.7% 14.6% 80.8%
U.S. Department of Education

8th grade math students Taught by teacher w/ less than 1 year experience 1-5 years experience More than 5 years experience
White 5.1% 21.1% 73.8%
Black 7.6% 31.7% 60.7%
Hispanic 9.0% 26.3% 64.7%
Qualify for free meals 6.8% 29.4% 63.9%
Do not qualify for free meals 5.8% 20.3% 73.9%
With a disability 5.7% 25.0% 69.3%
w/o disability 6.2% 23.2% 70.6%
U.S. Department of Education

8th grade reading students Taught by teacher w/ less than 1 year experience 1-5 years experience More than 5 years experience
White 3.9% 17.8% 78.2%
Black 5.9% 25.4% 68.6%
Hispanic 8.9% 29.6% 61.5%
Qualify for free meals 5.5% 26.8% 67.6%
Do not qualify for free meals 4.8% 17.8% 77.4%
With a disability 3.1% 24.7% 72.2%
w/o disability 5.4% 20.2% 74.4%
U.S. Department of Education

Jacqueline was CT Mirror’s Education and Housing Reporter, and an original member of the CT Mirror staff, joining shortly before our January 2010 launch. Her awards include the best-of-show Theodore A. Driscoll Investigative Award from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists in 2019 for reporting on inadequate inmate health care, first-place for investigative reporting from the New England Newspaper and Press Association in 2020 for reporting on housing segregation, and two first-place awards from the National Education Writers Association in 2012. She was selected for a prestigious, year-long Propublica Local Reporting Network grant in 2019, exploring a range of affordable and low-income housing issues. Before joining CT Mirror, Jacqueline was a reporter, online editor and website developer for The Washington Post Co.’s Maryland newspaper chains. Jacqueline received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in public policy from Trinity College.

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