The Caro family debates which schools to enter their children in for the state’s school choice lottery. The Caro family debates which schools to enter their children in for the state’s school choice lottery. State education officials are proposing to expand opportunities for Hartford children by sending more of them to suburban schools — but […]
EWA 2012 Beat Reporting
Posted inEducation
DCF failing some foster children educationally, advocates say
After running away from her abusive family, Crystal Griffin spent years attending school at the group homes where the state sent her to live. She knows firsthand the quality of the education foster children get when the state is your parent. “There was nothing hard about it,” said Griffin, who is now 19. “They may say it’s […]
Posted inEducation
The cost of lobbying education reform: millions
More than $3 million was spent lobbying both sides of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform package during the 2012 legislative session. And at least one good government organization is concerned that not every lobbying group is required by law to report the sources of the money. Active groups this year included teachers’ unions fighting […]
Posted inEducation
Change of plans. Meetings creating teacher evaluations will be public.
After holding numerous meetings behind closed doors to finalize details on how teachers and principals will be graded, the State Department of Education has said the public and the media can attend the sessions from now on. “Something is different at this meeting. At this meeting — in the interest of transparency — the state […]
Posted inEducation
No applause for implementation of education reforms
Only two hours after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law a compromise education reform bill to near universal applause, a disagreement erupted at the State Department of Education over how to implement a provision on evaluating teachers. At issue is how much students’ performances on standardized tests will count when grading teachers. The new […]
Posted inEducation
Are charter schools cherry-picking their students?
Hartford — As students from the highly regarded Jumoke Academy Charter School filed into the gymnasium for a mid-afternoon assembly last week, onlooker Gov. Dannel P. Malloy pointed out that at first glance these students seem to mirror those attending the neighborhood public schools. “Look around,” he said, fielding questions about whether this school is […]
Posted inEducation
Malloy wants only B+ students in teaching programs
New Britain — Elissa Maillet worries she’s not going to be able to get a teaching job when she graduates from Central Connecticut State University in two years. “I am really nervous about it,” the sophomore with a 3.6 grade point average said while studying between classes. “The job opportunities seem to be so scarce.” […]