WASHINGTON – A federal commission created after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, recommends rescinding Obama-era policy aimed at reducing racial discrimination when students are disciplined and offered little on gun control.
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
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.
Posted inEducation
UConn’s research rankings slip (again) – despite state investment
While the University of Connecticut’s oft-touted U.S. News & World Report rankings have improved in recent years – its ratings that focus on research have slipped. This month, they slipped further.
Posted inEducation
Increase in minority teachers not keeping pace with influx of minority students
First the good news: hundreds more minorities have become teachers over the last 10 years following several changes that made it easier to become an educator in Connecticut. Now the bad news. The growth hasn’t kept pace with the influx of Hispanic and Latino students entering public schools and those students are now less likely to have a teacher that looks like them, a review of state data by CT Mirror has found.
Posted inEducation
Lingering questions remain about school desegregation in Connecticut
Does research show integration improves student outcomes in Connecticut? Do magnet schools drain money from neighborhood schools? How does the lottery work? What’s next for school desegregation? We provide some answers.
Posted inEducation
Ben Barnes named CFO of higher-education system
Ben Barnes, who has overseen Connecticut’s state finances for eight years as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s only secretary of policy and management, was named Monday as the chief financial officer for the state’s sprawling system of community colleges and regional state universities.
Posted inHealth
As DCF’s Katz bows out, the risky world of child protection awaits new administration
Joette Katz, who served under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for eight years, is resigning next month after what is believed to be one of the longest tenures leading a state child-protection agency in the nation. But it wasn’t always easy. Despite Malloy’s loyalty to her, Katz’s abrasive personality, refusal to back down from controversial decisions, and her decision to march the child protection agency in a new and sometimes perilous direction, resulted in a rocky eight years.
Posted inMoney
Good news? Teacher retirement costs to surge $100 million
State spending on retired teachers’ pensions is set to surge $100 million next fiscal year – an 8 percent increase the state is obligated to fund.
But, strangely, the spike is good news. That’s because this single line item in the state budget is $63 million less than officials anticipated.
Posted inJustice
State is spending more, not less, on inmate health care
A reorganization in how the state provides medical care to thousands of inmates will not save the state money this year as promised. Instead, it will cost millions more.
Posted inEducation
High school graduation rates going up, but many students still unprepared for college
It has become an annual tradition — politicians and school officials gather to celebrate that more students in Connecticut are graduating each year from high school. This year was no different. But before anyone gets too excited about this jump in graduation rates – from 83 to 88 percent over the last seven years – data shows that many students are not learning what they should before they leave high school.
Posted inPolitics
Democrats make solid gains in General Assembly
Democrats made their first state legislative gains in 10 years Tuesday night, breaking an 18-18 tie in the Senate by picking up three Republican seats and defending vulnerable Democratic lawmakers who were targeted by the GOP.
Posted inPolitics
Stefanowski challenges ballots cast by same-day registrants
Moments after polls closed in Connecticut, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski went to court challenging votes being cast in two traditionally Democratic strongholds, New Haven and Mansfield.
Posted inNews
Town and statewide results for every race, as they roll in
Which party will control the state legislature? Who will be our next governor? We’ll be updating this page with statewide results, as well as results from your town. These results are based on unofficial vote totals from Tuesday’s general election. We’re continuously monitoring and updating counts as they are posted on the secretary of the […]
Posted inPolitics
In cities and suburbs, early turnout high in Connecticut
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was the 280th voter to cast a ballot at his polling place in Hartford’s West End Tuesday morning — just one of the state’s many residents who flocked to the polls Tuesday as officials reported high voter turnout numbers more typical of presidential elections than mid-term Connecticut elections.
Posted inEducation
Here’s why some students land a seat in coveted magnet schools outside the lottery
Students enrolled in a magnet school run by the Capitol Region Education Council last school year were already attending another magnet school, but needed to transfer schools because of safety reasons – such as being bullied – or because they were foster children or homeless and requested changing schools. It’s still unclear what happened in Hartford Public Schools’ magnet schools.
Posted inEducation
Do state budget cuts impact school staffing levels? See staffing & funding levels for your town here.
It’s a common refrain during election time: If the state cuts education aid, local school districts will be forced to lay off teachers and other educators. But is that always true? What impact would more cuts in municipal aid have on schools? The answer is complicated.
