Farmington — Leslie Loew, a researcher at the University of Connecticut, had planned to study the use of fluorescent dye and light to help doctors better repair life-threatening heart rhythms, but his funding was cut so that research will have to wait. Many research projects have stalled at the University of Connecticut as research funding […]
Education
Stories about schooling in Connecticut: Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, higher education, education spending and child welfare.
Posted inEducation
Must the state provide every Hartford student a seat in an integrated school?
As a court-ordered deadline approaches for state officials to outline how they will desegregate Hartford’s public schools, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy drew a line in the sand on what he is willing to agree to. Thirty-seven percent of Hartford students attended integrated schools last school year –- 4 percentage points shy of the 41 percent […]
Posted inEducation
Amid criticism for involvement in higher ed, Malloy ‘pleads guilty to being very involved’
Facing criticism that he is too involved in the governance at the state’s largest public college system, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said his level of oversight is warranted. “I am going to push performance and I think as governor I have a right to expect that institutions that are spending this much public money measure […]
Posted inEducation
College too expensive? Obama proposes solution
As the cost to attend college continues to spiral upward, President Barack Obama will announce Thursday a proposal to tie federal financial aid to a new college rating system and to limit how much students will need to pay each month for their student loans. Obama, who will make the announcement at a college […]
Posted inEducation
Malloy spokeswoman to take communications post with Board of Regents
A member of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s communications staff will become the new spokeswoman for the state’s merged public university and college system. Juliet Manalan of Wethersfield, who is Malloy’s press secretary and has worked in the governor’s communications office since January 2011, will assume her new post with the Board of Regents for Higher […]
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DCF wants to open new facility in Middletown to incarcerate girls
The state’s child welfare agency is gearing up to open a new state-run facility in Middletown to incarcerate girls who break the law, a move that child advocates say is troubling. “I wish we didn’t need this,” Joette Katz, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, told private providers last month when announcing the […]
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UConn taps reserves to close budget shortfall
University of Connecticut officials plan to significantly draw down the system’s emergency reserves this fiscal year to close a $30.8 million budget gap. “This is the first time we have had to deplete this fund to this extent… It’s a sign of the times,” said Lysa Teal, UConn’s vice president of finance and budget. This […]
Posted inEducation
Supreme Court: Bridgeport superintendent can keep his job for now
The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Bridgeport Superintendent Paul Vallas can continue running the district until the high court makes a decision on whether he is qualified to hold the job. The court is expected to hear arguments on the case in September and decide whether Vallas meets the qualifications of state law […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Meotti opens consulting business
Michael Meotti, the former vice president of the state’s largest public college system, who resigned last October amid a pay-raise scandal, has opened his own consulting business. “We can help you identify and carry out a strategy to better connect with the governmental, business, philanthropic and community leaders that matter to your organization,” reads the […]
Posted inEducation
Do school bus drivers have collective bargaining rights?
A state board has ruled that the school bus drivers hired by Newtown Public Schools are not part of a labor organization because they are independent contractors, a decision that could have an impact on districts across the state. The State Board of Labor Relations wrote in a 14-page decision that the drivers are not […]
Posted inEducation
Will Katz’s efforts be enough to reform Connecticut’s child protection agency?
DCF Commissioner Joette Katz talk with some older youth in state custody. When Joette Katz was tapped to lead the state agency that has been under a federal court order for decades for failing too many of the state’s abused and neglected foster children, child advocates and lawmakers were delighted. The former state Supreme Court […]
Posted inEducation
Adamowski, New London school district’s special master, has term extended
New London — The State Board of Education has extended the appointment of special master Steven Adamowski to the New London school district for three more months. Adamowski, who was appointed to a one-year term July 1, 2012, will remain with New London through Sept. 30. He was charged by the state to help the New […]
Posted inEducation
UConn to consider restricting some faculty/student relationships
The governing board for the University of Connecticut is expected to consider changes to its policies that would prohibit “romantic relationships” between faculty and any undergraduate or graduate student over whom they have authority. “The University’s rationale is that it’s very difficult to gauge consent when there’s a power imbalance,” a spokeswoman said. This announcement […]
Posted inEducation
UConn case renews debate on who should have to report abuse
DCF Commissioner Joette Katz (left), Rep. Diana Urban , House chairwoman of the Children's Committee (Right) The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp reported Robert Miller to the Department of Children and Families in February, a day after learning that police were investigating sexual abuse allegations that led to Miller’s dismissal as a camp volunteer […]
Posted inEducation
State board decides not to meet privately to discuss Bridgeport leadership drama
The State Board of Education on Monday decided they would not be meeting in private to discuss the Bridgeport leadership drama. A judge last month ruled that Paul Vallas — the district’s superintendent — does not have the proper qualifications to run the district. In April, the state board approved an independent study created for Vallas to complete at the University […]