Connecticut is on pace to exceed its hard credit card limit by more than $320 million in two years — a projection that will tighten available borrowing for local schools, public colleges and universities, state building renovations and various projects in legislators’ districts.
K-12
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s charter schools stronger than ever
2015 was a landmark year for public charter schools in Connecticut. A record 9,000 children are now enrolled in charters and two new schools opened in Bridgeport and Stamford, bringing the state’s total to 24. And a new study shows that accountability measures recently signed into law make Connecticut’s charter law stronger than ever. Moving forward, we must pay close attention to how public charter school students are treated compared to their peers. State leaders should read NACSA’s study on national charter laws and look to other states on how to bring approval process up to par. And they should also applaud themselves for the accountability measures passed this June.
Posted inPolitics
Education bill and gun control dominate on Capitol Hill
A new federal education law replacing No Child Left Behind and a stepped-up campaign to bar those on terrorist watch lists from purchasing firearms dominated the discussion on Capitol Hill this week.
Posted inEducation
Will CT abandon plan to link teacher ratings to student testing?
Teachers’ unions, school boards and education reformers are gearing up for a fight over whether to retreat from grading teachers on how their students do on standardized tests. But before the decision is made, Connecticut’s education chief wants a review of whether using test scores actually helps improve education.
Posted inEducation
Congress’ approval of education bill allows CT to overhaul K-12 system
Washington — The Senate voted overwhelmingly to repeal the controversial No Child Left Behind and sent President Obama a bill that will eliminate most federal mandates and give states like Connecticut broad authority to change their K-12 education systems.
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 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 inEducation, Justice
Court affirms teacher misconduct records are public
The state Supreme Court affirmed Monday that records of alleged misconduct by teachers at public schools and universities in Connecticut are public records subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
Posted inEducation
U.S. education bill may spell new clash between Malloy, teachers
WASHINGTON — Since the new federal education bill would end many requirements of No Child Left Behind and give states broad authority to fashion their own education policy, Connecticut’s teachers unions are pressing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to take advantage of the new freedoms. But Malloy has not indicated whether he would do so.
Posted inEducation
Murphy helping Congress scrap ‘No Child Left Behind’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is part of a team of House and Senate lawmakers who hope to finish work on a bill this week that would overhaul federal education policy and eliminate the No Child Left Behind law.
Posted inEducation
Education department reluctantly identifies $4.5 million in cuts
Officials at the State Department of Education shared proposed cuts of $4.5 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Posted inEducation
School desegregation: Will focus shift from magnets to suburbs?
As Connecticut spends billions to build and run 42 racially integrated magnet schools in an effort to meet a court desegregation order, the state has failed to substantially grow a far less expensive alternative by enrolling city students in suburban schools.
Posted inEducation
CT’s report card: Achievement gap shrinks but for wrong reason
A national test shows the achievement gaps between minority students and their classmates in math and reading are shrinking, but it’s largely because higher-achieving students scored lower on this year’s test. Overall, however, Connecticut still has among the nation’s best scores.
Posted inEducation
Kaplan deVries, leader of school-funding coalition, dies
Dianne Kaplan deVries, the driving force behind the coalition that won a Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that the state pay for every child to receive an adequate education, died Sunday from cancer.