Massachusetts, one of the leading states on education reform in the nation, in a monumental decision has abandoned Common Core testing. The Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, Michael Chester, in a stunning reversal, has walked away from the very test he helped to create. Now it remains to be seen if other states in the nation, including Connecticut, will follow Massachusetts, a state that is considered to be “the gold standard” in successful education reform.
Will Connecticut follow Massachusetts on Common Core?
Posted inEducation
What does the federal education bill mean for CT schools?
In 2012, facing a deadline to have 100 percent of students proficient in reading and math, state lawmakers changed how schools grade teachers, students and schools — and what those scores would be used for — in exchange for relief from No-Child-Left-Behind requirements. Top education leaders said Wednesday they aren’t ready to retreat from most of the changes.
Posted inEducation
House overwhelmingly votes to replace No Child Left Behind
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a new federal education bill Wednesday that would replace No Child Left Behind and turn back much authority over K-12 educational policy back to the states.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Deadlines nearing for state budget talks, GE decision on a move
State budget talks made little progress Wednesday but will continue for at least one more day as legislators from both sides conceded a self-imposed deadline is nearly upon them. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also hopes to extract new business tax relief from these talks and confirmed he continues to talk with General Electric in hopes of keeping the major corporation in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth
Lembo helps Dems in D.C. sharpen attack on high drug costs
In testimony Wednesday, Connecticut Comptroller Kevin Lembo joined a growing Democratic attack on high drug prices, an issue expected to be at the center of many Democratic election campaigns next year.
Posted inNews
An aging Connecticut ups demand for rental housing
An annual assessment of housing affordability in Connecticut finds market forces blunting the impact of the more than 7,000 affordable apartments developed with state aid during Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 4½ years in office.
Posted inEducation
Vo-tech school leaders warn cuts could mean fewer students
Leaders of the state-operated vocational-technical high schools said Wednesday that cuts proposed by legislative leaders could lead to closing one of their schools or reducing the number of students the system enrolls.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CSCU system spending should be more detailed and transparent
CSCU President Mark Ojakian has mentioned repeatedly that contract negotiations with unions in higher education are important because of a dire need to rein in spending within our system. I agree. However, before we once again attack the problem of “doing more with less” we have a responsibility to the taxpayers and students to clearly detail how we currently spend. As a system, we haven’t done this.
Posted inHealth
To improve health, raise ‘insurance literacy,’ experts say
Studies show people would rather go to the gym or pay taxes than pick a health insurance plan. And experts say that’s a problem for policymakers trying to improve the health of the population and ensure that the expansion of insurance coverage under the federal health law does more than give a lot of people new insurance cards.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Assistant AG: Democrats trying to ‘stonewall’
A lawyer defending the Connecticut Democratic Party against an investigative subpoena essentially told a judge Tuesday it’s nobody’s business how the party came to solicit state contractors, regulated industries and beneficiaries of state for campaign contributions in the 2014 campaign cycle.
Posted inEducation
Mixed reactions from Malloy, lawmakers on UConn tuition hike
What a difference four years makes. In 2011, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy during his budget address to the General Assembly called on the University of Connecticut not to increase tuition at a faster rate than inflation. He made the request even though state funding cuts to to the public university were inevitable as lawmakers grappled with closing a […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
New federal transportation bill would boost funding to CT
WASHINGTON – In a long-awaited compromise, Congress unveiled a final, five-year transportation bill on Tuesday that would boost money to the states and change the way Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor routes are funded.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lawmakers, Malloy insist deficit-mitigation deal still within reach
Even with a state employee retirement incentive plan out of consideration, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders insisted Tuesday that a major deficit-mitigation plan could be enacted by mid-December.
Posted inNews
UConn pitches raising tuition 6.7 percent; fees to be determined
State residents will probably have to pay at least $700 more in tuition to attend the University of Connecticut next school year — a 6.7 percent increase.
Posted inEducation
Coming to a community college near you: armed security
In the wake of mass shootings around the country, security staff at Connecticut’s community colleges are expected to get approval Thursday to carry weapons on campus.