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Posted inCT Viewpoints

Community colleges should help students keep hope alive

The Connecticut Mirror last week reported Higher Education Commissioner Michael Meotti’s belief, seconded by Gov. Dannel Malloy, that Connecticut’s community colleges might need to turn away people who, as Meotti put it, “have no ability to be successful in a college classroom.”  Our campuses are crowded, Commissioner Meotti said, and there is little funding expansion. […]

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Teacher evaluation policies must reflect student needs

While most of the sound and fury during this legislative session has centered on the state’s budget deficit, there are crucial education issues that cry out for attention. For example, Connecticut’s current statutes related to teacher employment and evaluation policies are out of date. They are unfair to students and our best teachers and give […]

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Malloy is right to flatten the administration of higher ed

Speaking from the vantage point of 12 years as a full-time faculty member inside the community college system of Connecticut, I support Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposal to “flatten” the currently bloated layers of higher ed administration.  This will save money, and it is also a golden opportunity to improve our college completion rates and serve […]

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Higher ed reorganization will help state regain its educational edge

(Sen. Beth Bye is co-chair of the legislature’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. She represents Bloomfield, Burlington, Farmington, West Hartford) For the last two months, as the public and legislators have debated Gov. Malloy’s proposed overhaul of our state university and community college system, I have been meeting with students, residents, business leaders and […]

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Last-in, first-out teacher layoff system can be changed this year

(Alex Johnston is chief executive officer of the school reform organization ConnCAN.) Gov. Malloy reassured many folks by promising not to cut state education funding, but many districts will still have to cut spending. Over the past couple of years, a number of districts have plugged budget holes with special funds, received directly from the […]

Posted inCT Viewpoints

Early childhood department needed to attack achievement gap

Connecticut, we have a problem. We’re no longer leading our nation in educational achievement, and the source of this problem begins early. Too many of our children arrive at the kindergarten door unprepared. In 2009, 67.7% of kindergarteners from poor school districts had a preschool experience, compared with 95.9% from wealthier districts. Is it any […]

Posted inCT Viewpoints

Immediate action needed on education reform

Governor Malloy showed significant leadership during his budget address yesterday by calling for change in two critical areas where Connecticut desperately needs it: giving districts flexibility to ensure that only the best teachers remain in classrooms and overhauling the school finance system. Governor Malloy signaled his commitment to public education as the key not only […]