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Students at Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School in Norwalk listen to state Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona read a book during Read Across America Day. Credit: Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

CT Mirror education reporter Jacqueline Rabe Thomas discusses the breadth of the disparity faced by young English learners in Connecticut – and a potential path forward to begin narrowing these achievement gaps when school resumes.


Student in classroom


Date: Friday, June 26, 2020

English language learners make up a large and growing piece of our education system. The achievement gaps between them and other students are huge. And, like much of the state, the system for teaching them is fractured.

CT Mirror’s Jacqueline Rabe Thomas has been investigating this achievement gap and how the state approaches teaching English language learners. Her reporting started before the pandemic — and as she tells us, the disrupted school year and distance learning only made it more difficult for these students.

John is CT Mirror's Director of Events. A well-known and highly-regarded radio personality and moderator, he divides his time between CT Mirror — where he heads up our events program and serves as a multi-platform consultant — and the NPR / PRI program Science Friday. Previously, John was executive editor of the New England News Collaborative and the host of NEXT, a weekly program about New England. He also appeared weekly on The Wheelhouse, WNPR’s news roundtable program. His 25 years in public media also include serving as vice president of news for Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, host of WNPR’s Where We Live, and regular fill-in host for the PRI program Science Friday in New York. He was twice recognized by PRNDI as America’s best public radio call-in show.