As researchers continue to worry about the scarcity of women in science-related academic programs and professional fields, three teenage girls wiped out the competition in their respective age classes in the first Google Science Fair, Kenneth Chang reports at The New York Times. The three bested some 10,000 entrants from 91 countries. “It just starts […]
Education
Stories about schooling in Connecticut: Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, higher education, education spending and child welfare.
Implementation of education reforms passed last year will have to wait
A gamut of education reforms passed last year in the state’s attempt to land federal Race to the Top money will have to wait two more years to be implemented, as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill delaying most of the initiatives because of the costs. “No one disagrees that we need to […]
State takeover of Bridgeport schools essential for students’ futures
Our greatest asset in the City of Bridgeport is our young students. These students need – and deserve – the best that the city has to offer. Our students must come first. With this in mind, Bridgeport’s Board of Education has called for a state takeover of the school system. The decision to request the […]
To mixed reviews, DCF curtailing out-of-state placements
Frank Gregory, the director of treatment at CCP: 'We are getting it ready now for more children.' For years, the Department of Children and Families has left beds unfilled at its two psychiatric facilities while sending hundreds of children out-of-state, an expensive and criticized practice. This summer, DCF is bringing some of those children home […]
State education officials intervene in Bridgeport, then name new leader in Windham
Thirty minutes after deciding to takeover the Bridgeport school board, state education leaders announced who they intend to lead the other district they intervened in earlier this year. The controversial former superintendent of Hartford Public Schools Steven Adamowski has been named the new leader of Windham Public Schools. “He can make some positive differences. We […]
After slow start, applications for top education post begin flowing in
After a slow start, State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said the extended deadline to apply for the state’s top education job has paid off and a wave of people have since applied. “I kinda lost track of how many people applied,” he said Friday. “All I know is I am very happy with the […]
Are employers inflating an ‘education bubble’?
There’s no argument that college graduates have more opportunities and make more money, Daniel Indiviglio says at The Atlantic. And there’s a good case to be made that education is valuable in itself. But should college degrees be as important as they are in today’s economy? Indiviglio says a college degree has become a proxy […]
National report finds achievement gap persists for Hispanic students
Although reading and math test scores have improved for Hispanic students and their white, non-Hispanic peers over the last two decades, the achievement gap between them remains substantially unchanged, a new national report says. The study, based on National Assessment of Educational Progress test results from 1990 to 2009, looked at scores of 4th and […]
History repeats itself: tests show students still poor at history
If you are able to say why Abraham Lincoln was an important figure in U.S. History or why the pilgrims wanted to leave England, then chances are you know more then most U.S. fourth graders. Less then half of the U.S. fourth graders tested in public and non-public schools were able to answer those two […]
Tuition break for illegal immigrants to begin in upcoming school year
Undocumented immigrants that attended high school in the state will begin paying significantly less to attend the state’s public colleges and universities this upcoming school year, as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill into law allowing them to pay in-state tuition rates. The impact of the law is uncertain. Backers estimate about 200 […]
How educated are Connecticut legislators?
One in five Connecticut legislators does not have a college degree, according to a report released Sunday by The Chronicle of Higher Education. New Hampshire has the least formally educated statehouse, with 43 percent of their 424 legislators having no college degree. Connecticut falls in line with the national average in the percent of legislators […]
Senate sends bill to Malloy delaying education reforms
State legislators have sent a bill to the governor’s desk that delays the package of school reforms passed last year in the state’s bid to capture federal Race to the Top money. The legislature’s budget office estimates the increased graduation requirements alone would cost up to $29 million to hire the additional teachers needed for the additional required courses […]
Educators seek to bridge early school years
A relatively new reform movement known as PreK-3 is aiming to help children sustain educational gains made in pre-kindergarten as they enter their elementary school years, Sarah Garland writes at The Hechinger Report. Although the movement is only about 5 years old, it is rooted in research going back to the 60s showing that while […]
Legislature sends bills to governor aimed at landing RttT money
The House has voted to send two bills aimed at helping the state land new federal Race to the Top money for early childhood education to the governor’s desk. The bills provide funding for preschool teachers to earn degrees, begin testing kindergarten students on their reading and education development and require principals to report to the […]
High school dropout age will increase to 18 in three school years
State Representatives have voted to wait for three school years to raise the age to 18 that students must be to dropout of high school. The dropout age for the upcoming school year will be 17, but legislators had been considering increasing that to 18. A bill passed in the House Monday will increase the […]