The CT Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/category/education/)
The Connecticut Mirror provides comprehensive coverage of the state’s K-12 school system, institutions of higher education and child welfare issues. Find all of our stories on those topics here.
For a deeper look at inequality in Connecticut’s public schools, read Jacqueline Rabe Thomas’ acclaimed seven-part series, “Troubled Schools on Trial.”
Ned Lamont promised this week to make college free for veterans attending the state’s public colleges by subsidizing the school fees they must pay. He just didn’t say who, exactly, would foot the bill. Continue Reading →
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ned Lamont unveiled a jobs plan Wednesday centered on three business tax cuts — and a previously disclosed middle-class income tax break — none of which he could provide without solving a much-larger state budget deficit. Continue Reading →
Ben Barnes, who has overseen Connecticut’s budget as the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management from the first days of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration, is on a short list of candidates interviewed for the vacant post of chief financial officer at the state’s system of community colleges and regional universities. Continue Reading →
A new state tax break is available this school year to help parents pay for private K-12 school tuition – a development triggered by the federal tax overhaul. The state has for years allowed parents to avoid paying state income taxes on up to $10,000 each year that they put into a college savings account, known as a 529 CHET account. In addition, they have not had to pay taxes on the money when it is withdrawn or on the investment earnings when they use it to pay for college. Now, those state tax benefits have been extended to allow parents and relatives to also use these 529 accounts for private, elementary and secondary school. That’s because the federal tax law that was changed last December on these accounts extends a federal tax benefit to include K-12 tuition. Continue Reading →
The state has seen a drastic increase in participation in AP courses among Connecticut students from low-income families and — most notably — among Hispanic students. Nearly 2,000 more Hispanic students in Connecticut took at least one Advanced Placement exam last school year compared to five years ago – a 79 percent jump. Continue Reading →
In the three years since, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has given away millions to groups working to “personalize” learning, reshape teacher training, and diversify the ranks of education leaders, the full scope of that giving hasn’t been clear. Now it is. Continue Reading →
See how your school system performed on last spring’s standardized English and math tests, which are formally known as the Smarter Balanced Assessments. Continue Reading →
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School closed on April 12, forcing the state to place the boys in pretrial detention centers that were never intended to meet the needs of this population. Advocates say the state didn’t adequately plan for the closure of CJTS and that it must move faster to establish alternative facilities. Continue Reading →
WASHINGTON – The possibility the Trump administration would allow the use of federal funds to arm teachers prompted Sen. Chris Murphy on Thursday to try to block the move through legislation. It may be a long-shot effort, but it’s leading Democratic opposition to the plan. Continue Reading →
Second Chance Pell Grants will continue in Connecticut until at least 2020, putting to rest recent concerns that federally funded inmate education programs would be ending this year. Continue Reading →
The number of in-state students who will begin their studies at the University of Connecticut this fall increased by 4 percent this year, with about 74 percent of the class made up of Connecticut natives. Continue Reading →
With pressures inflicted in part by social media shaping a distinct, rapidly evolving generation of students, a largely-Republican group of lawmakers is looking to update the school safety reforms implemented in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Continue Reading →
Connecticut received Monday what is likely to be a federal overseer’s final assessment of the progress made by the Department of Children and Families during the tenure of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Commissioner Joette Katz, saying the state is closer than ever to ending nearly three decades of federal supervision. But not before the next governor takes office. Continue Reading →
New research finds that a program lengthening the school day really did boost reading scores for students from low-income families. It’s new evidence that lengthening the school day, an approach being taken at schools across the country, can make a difference for students who stand to benefit the most. Continue Reading →
The United States Department of Education has announced it will allocate Connecticut $10.6 million for school districts that took in displaced students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria wreaked widespread devastation last fall. Continue Reading →