ConnCAN in the News
PMS Celebrates Testing Success
By Jeff Mill, The Middletown Press, November 22, 2007
PORTLAND - The major share of the credit for the middle school's success in a recent survey of schools goes to the teachers, school Principal Scott Giegerich said.
The school was rated first in an assessment of "performance gains" among sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students from 2006 to 2007.The school also ranked eighth in ConnCAN's list of "most improved schools.
One of the first things we did was to share data," Giegerich said. "We looked at CMT scores for the last five years and then, as a staff, we identified both areas of strength and areas in need of attention."
Throughout the process, there was an emphasis on sharing and cooperation.
Teachers shared examples of specific approaches with the entire staff, which included math, language arts, science social studies world language and unified arts, Giegerich explained.
News Articles
City School Overhaul Advances
By Rache Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, November 20, 2007
Hartford's school board took a giant leap Tuesday into what will be the redesigning of most of the school system when it approved initial plans to create four new schools and directed the superintendent to redesign four existing low-performing schools and close one elementary school in order to convert it into a magnet school.
By unanimous vote, the board approved a first reading of a plan to create an Achievement First charter school — New Haven's successful Amistad Academy is an Achievement First school — a second Breakthrough Academy, an International Baccalaureate, similar to the one in East Hartford, and a Montessori elementary school. The board will take a final vote next month.
About 500 teachers wearing pins bearing the word "respect" and parents who feel left out of the redesign process protested in a cold drizzle outside before the meeting, and then moved inside, where they demanded a role.
Other board members promised that parents and teachers will be included in the future. "Change of this magnitude happens in stages. Our work is really just beginning," board member Pamela Richmond said.
Public allowed to place items on BOE meeting agenda
By A.J. O’Connell, The Wilton Villager, November 22, 20007
WILTON — The public has long been able to comment at Wilton's board of education meetings. Now, thanks to a change in the board's bylaws, members of the community are now allowed to place an item on the school board's agenda.
"It's been pointed out that while we conduct our meetings in public, they are not public meetings," said board member Troy Ellen Dixon, who led the revision of the board's bylaws this year.
Academic goals for St. Jude kids tailor-made
By Linda Conner Lambeck, The Connecticut Post, November 19, 2007
MONROE — When parent Lynn Dafcik recently sat down with Marie Cassin, a teacher at St. Jude School, to discuss how son Andrew was doing, there were few surprises.
Dafcik — and Andrew — already knew the goals set for him and even which words in reading still pose a challenge to the 6-year-old.
It was, after all, spelled out in an Individualized Academic Plan developed for Andrew at the start of the academic year, with his mother's input.
The goals for Andrew are based on how well he scores on several tests. This year, every student in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and the first grade at St. Jude has a plan tailored just for them.
Within three years, students in all 39 schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport will have a custom-developed learning road map if John Cook, the deputy superintendent of diocesan schools, has his way.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
ConnCAN in the News
Portland school ranked No. 1 for mastery test improvement
By Jeff Mill, The Middletown Press, November 17, 2007
Sally E. Doyen got her "report card" this week. Her response? "We're thrilled!" the superintendent of schools said, after learning that the Portland Middle School has been judged a winner by education officials.
The school was ranked number-one in the state for "performance gains" on the 2006-07 mastery test results, Doyen said. What's more, Portland also ranked number eight for most improved, according to an analysis compiled by ConnCAN, a statewide education advocacy and outreach group.
Doyen left no doubt about who deserves the credit for the school's success."This is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of the staff and the students," she said. "We spent a lot of time over the last three years aligning our curriculum and developing both consistent goals and consistent expectations," she added. "And now, we have gotten this wonderful payoff!"
Middle School Honored
The Hartford Courant, November 16, 2007
Portland Middle School was ranked No. 1 by the state in the area of "Performance Gains" for the 2006-07 mastery test results comparisons.
The rating appeared in "The State of Connecticut Public Education," a 2007 report card for elementary and middle schools provided by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now. Portland was also ranked No. 8 in the state for "Most Improved."
Pursue magnet school plan for town
The Stamford Advocate, November 18, 2007
Opponents of the plan to turn New Lebanon School into a magnet program say the Board of Education should apply the brakes until new questions are answered about requirements involving race and school diversity.
But many educators, including those at New Lebanon, where test scores are lagging, believe diversity achieved through magnet schools helps all students to learn. And there is evidence to bear them out, including a recent report by ConnCAN, an education advocacy organization. Among other findings, the report rated Stamford's Rogers Elementary School -- a magnet school -- among the state's top five schools in terms of raising student performance and closing the achievement gap between white and minority, and poor and nonpoor students.
Opinions and Editorials
Money Should Follow City Kids To Suburbs
By Rick Green, The Hartford Courant, November 9, 2007
We've got over 100,000 seats in public school classrooms in suburbs around Hartford and there's room for just 1,000 city kids. One percent. That's so pathetic it's embarrassing to even say.
Our affluent and middle class towns say they don't have space for more than this. Fine, but there are consequences here - be prepared for the day when we can't find enough skilled workers or bunks in our prisons.
As it turns out, there's a reason for this limited success: Most of the money doesn't follow the kid to the suburbs.
"The grant that follows the child is woefully insufficient," said Bruce Douglas, director of the Capitol Region Education Council, which runs Project Choice.
So, for example, the state of Connecticut - which is under a court order to desegregate metropolitan Hartford schools - gives Avon about $2,500 for each of the 41 children it takes. The district, however, spends about $11,000 per child. This is no education crisis, it's a taxpayer rip-off.
One percent. We need a judge, a governor or an education commissioner with the backbone to tackle this.
News Articles
High School May Get Harder
By Arielle Levin Becker and Rachel Gottlieb, The Hartford Courant, November 16, 2007
High school students would be required to pass end-of-course exams, complete a yearlong independent study project and earn 24 credits in specific areas to graduate from any public school in Connecticut under a set of recommendations being considered by the State Board of Education.
The recommendations, put together by a committee that included teachers, school officials and representatives of business and higher education, are part of a high school redesign effort intended to address stagnating test scores, wide achievement gaps and concerns that a growing number of state students graduate high school unprepared for college or the workforce.
It will be years before any recommendations are adopted; state education officials will spend much of the next year soliciting public comment, and the legislature must authorize any changes in graduation requirements.
Portland school ranked No. 1 for mastery test improvement
By Jeff Mill, The Middletown Press, November 17, 2007
Sally E. Doyen got her "report card" this week. Her response? "We're thrilled!" the superintendent of schools said, after learning that the Portland Middle School has been judged a winner by education officials.
The school was ranked number-one in the state for "performance gains" on the 2006-07 mastery test results, Doyen said. What's more, Portland also ranked number eight for most improved, according to an analysis compiled by ConnCAN, a statewide education advocacy and outreach group.
Doyen left no doubt about who deserves the credit for the school's success."This is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of the staff and the students," she said. "We spent a lot of time over the last three years aligning our curriculum and developing both consistent goals and consistent expectations," she added. "And now, we have gotten this wonderful payoff!"
Middle School Honored
The Hartford Courant, November 16, 2007
Portland Middle School was ranked No. 1 by the state in the area of "Performance Gains" for the 2006-07 mastery test results comparisons.
The rating appeared in "The State of Connecticut Public Education," a 2007 report card for elementary and middle schools provided by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now. Portland was also ranked No. 8 in the state for "Most Improved."
Pursue magnet school plan for town
The Stamford Advocate, November 18, 2007
Opponents of the plan to turn New Lebanon School into a magnet program say the Board of Education should apply the brakes until new questions are answered about requirements involving race and school diversity.
But many educators, including those at New Lebanon, where test scores are lagging, believe diversity achieved through magnet schools helps all students to learn. And there is evidence to bear them out, including a recent report by ConnCAN, an education advocacy organization. Among other findings, the report rated Stamford's Rogers Elementary School -- a magnet school -- among the state's top five schools in terms of raising student performance and closing the achievement gap between white and minority, and poor and nonpoor students.
Opinions and Editorials
Money Should Follow City Kids To Suburbs
By Rick Green, The Hartford Courant, November 9, 2007
We've got over 100,000 seats in public school classrooms in suburbs around Hartford and there's room for just 1,000 city kids. One percent. That's so pathetic it's embarrassing to even say.
Our affluent and middle class towns say they don't have space for more than this. Fine, but there are consequences here - be prepared for the day when we can't find enough skilled workers or bunks in our prisons.
As it turns out, there's a reason for this limited success: Most of the money doesn't follow the kid to the suburbs.
"The grant that follows the child is woefully insufficient," said Bruce Douglas, director of the Capitol Region Education Council, which runs Project Choice.
So, for example, the state of Connecticut - which is under a court order to desegregate metropolitan Hartford schools - gives Avon about $2,500 for each of the 41 children it takes. The district, however, spends about $11,000 per child. This is no education crisis, it's a taxpayer rip-off.
One percent. We need a judge, a governor or an education commissioner with the backbone to tackle this.
News Articles
High School May Get Harder
By Arielle Levin Becker and Rachel Gottlieb, The Hartford Courant, November 16, 2007
High school students would be required to pass end-of-course exams, complete a yearlong independent study project and earn 24 credits in specific areas to graduate from any public school in Connecticut under a set of recommendations being considered by the State Board of Education.
The recommendations, put together by a committee that included teachers, school officials and representatives of business and higher education, are part of a high school redesign effort intended to address stagnating test scores, wide achievement gaps and concerns that a growing number of state students graduate high school unprepared for college or the workforce.
It will be years before any recommendations are adopted; state education officials will spend much of the next year soliciting public comment, and the legislature must authorize any changes in graduation requirements.
November 12, 2007
News Articles
State seeking school reform: Proposal urges higher standards
By Eileen FitzGerald, The News Times, November 11, 2007
The state Department of Education unveiled a far-reaching redesign meant to increase rigor -- and the state's reported 75-percent high school graduation rate.
The plan, unveiled during a state Board of Education meeting Wednesday, is called a "work in progress." Officials will seek comments and recommendations during visits across Connecticut before it is adopted.
The proposal calls for the state to write a model curriculum it will offer to schools for voluntary use. Students would have to take and pass more courses to graduate, and the state would create end-of-year exams for five subjects. Students would have performance tests, like labs or research presentations, for other subjects.
The plan also adds a senior project -- such as an internships outside of school -- to the high school graduation requirement. It would test skills beyond academics and provide ways for students to accelerate at a faster pace than they can now.
Day 4 In Sheff Case Reveals Rift
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, November 10, 2007
Testimony by the state's education commissioner on the fourth day of a hearing on the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation lawsuit revealed a testy relationship between Hartford's superintendent of schools and the state Department of Education over state efforts to quicken the pace of desegregation.
State Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan on Friday summarized an exchange of letters that began last summer between him and Superintendent Steven Adamowski in which McQuillan asked Hartford to submit documents showing why several of the city's magnet schools didn't have enough white students and how the district intended to remedy the problem.
Spotty Sheff Enforcement
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank and Magdalene Perez, The Hartford Courant, November 9, 2007
Over the years the state has helped develop a comprehensive plan to desegregate Hartford's schools, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the efforts, appealed to suburban districts to open their schools to city students and offered training to suburban districts to help city students succeed, state witnesses testified Thursday in the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation case.
But cross-examination of those witnesses in Superior Court in Hartford revealed that shifts in management have resulted in spotty results and murky accountability since 2003, when the plaintiffs in the Sheff lawsuit reached a compromise agreement with the state on integration goals.
New Lebanon: A Magnet School in Progress
By Anne W. Semmes, The Greenwich Citizen, November 9, 2007
Now that the Board of Education has unanimously voted on New Lebanon School as the district's fourth magnet school, the focus has shifted to how best to strengthen this elementary Byram school identified by Dr. Betty Sternberg, superintendent of schools, as racially unbalanced.
"New Leb has issues of an achievement gap with its mix of minority and white students," said Colleen Giambo, board chairman. "We will try to address closing this gap."
"There will be a committee of administrators and teachers," she said, to consider the different strategies for closing the gap. "They will go though a similar process of development as happened with other magnet schools in town. Each school is different, with different parental interests. Julian Curtiss has international language instruction and Hamilton Avenue has small classes and a pre-school."
Bard President to Meet With City Over C Grade
By Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, November 9, 2007
One of New York’s most prominent educators, Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College, has joined the chorus of criticism over the City Department of Education’s blunt new A through F rating system for public schools, saying in an interview yesterday that it was “reductive” and “depressing.”
But while most city schools received grades this week, Bard High School Early College, associated with Mr. Botstein’s college, did not. Its grade and those of 22 other schools were reported as “under review” by the department. In fact, Mr. Botstein said, he learned last week that the school had earned a tentative grade of C on a draft copy of the report card — even though its graduates earn not just a high school diploma, but two years’ worth of college credits. And he is holding out hope that the grade will be changed.
Online Newsletters
Reporter Robert Frahm Leaves The Hartford Courant
By Alexander Russo, This Week in Education, November 9, 2007
The list of veteran education reporters who are leaving the newsroom just keeps getting longer. After over 20 years at the Hartford Courant, Robert Frahm recently took a buyout. He follows Dale Mezzecappa, Bob Sipchen, Richard Lee Colvin, Mike Bowler, and others who have left the education beat, most of them due to downsizing.
With an education team that once numbered four, the Hartford Courant (bought in 2001 by the Tribune Company) had cut and lost education reporters until Frahm was all but the last man standing, he said when I met him recently.
News Articles
State seeking school reform: Proposal urges higher standards
By Eileen FitzGerald, The News Times, November 11, 2007
The state Department of Education unveiled a far-reaching redesign meant to increase rigor -- and the state's reported 75-percent high school graduation rate.
The plan, unveiled during a state Board of Education meeting Wednesday, is called a "work in progress." Officials will seek comments and recommendations during visits across Connecticut before it is adopted.
The proposal calls for the state to write a model curriculum it will offer to schools for voluntary use. Students would have to take and pass more courses to graduate, and the state would create end-of-year exams for five subjects. Students would have performance tests, like labs or research presentations, for other subjects.
The plan also adds a senior project -- such as an internships outside of school -- to the high school graduation requirement. It would test skills beyond academics and provide ways for students to accelerate at a faster pace than they can now.
Day 4 In Sheff Case Reveals Rift
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, November 10, 2007
Testimony by the state's education commissioner on the fourth day of a hearing on the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation lawsuit revealed a testy relationship between Hartford's superintendent of schools and the state Department of Education over state efforts to quicken the pace of desegregation.
State Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan on Friday summarized an exchange of letters that began last summer between him and Superintendent Steven Adamowski in which McQuillan asked Hartford to submit documents showing why several of the city's magnet schools didn't have enough white students and how the district intended to remedy the problem.
Spotty Sheff Enforcement
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank and Magdalene Perez, The Hartford Courant, November 9, 2007
Over the years the state has helped develop a comprehensive plan to desegregate Hartford's schools, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the efforts, appealed to suburban districts to open their schools to city students and offered training to suburban districts to help city students succeed, state witnesses testified Thursday in the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation case.
But cross-examination of those witnesses in Superior Court in Hartford revealed that shifts in management have resulted in spotty results and murky accountability since 2003, when the plaintiffs in the Sheff lawsuit reached a compromise agreement with the state on integration goals.
New Lebanon: A Magnet School in Progress
By Anne W. Semmes, The Greenwich Citizen, November 9, 2007
Now that the Board of Education has unanimously voted on New Lebanon School as the district's fourth magnet school, the focus has shifted to how best to strengthen this elementary Byram school identified by Dr. Betty Sternberg, superintendent of schools, as racially unbalanced.
"New Leb has issues of an achievement gap with its mix of minority and white students," said Colleen Giambo, board chairman. "We will try to address closing this gap."
"There will be a committee of administrators and teachers," she said, to consider the different strategies for closing the gap. "They will go though a similar process of development as happened with other magnet schools in town. Each school is different, with different parental interests. Julian Curtiss has international language instruction and Hamilton Avenue has small classes and a pre-school."
Bard President to Meet With City Over C Grade
By Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, November 9, 2007
One of New York’s most prominent educators, Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College, has joined the chorus of criticism over the City Department of Education’s blunt new A through F rating system for public schools, saying in an interview yesterday that it was “reductive” and “depressing.”
But while most city schools received grades this week, Bard High School Early College, associated with Mr. Botstein’s college, did not. Its grade and those of 22 other schools were reported as “under review” by the department. In fact, Mr. Botstein said, he learned last week that the school had earned a tentative grade of C on a draft copy of the report card — even though its graduates earn not just a high school diploma, but two years’ worth of college credits. And he is holding out hope that the grade will be changed.
Online Newsletters
Reporter Robert Frahm Leaves The Hartford Courant
By Alexander Russo, This Week in Education, November 9, 2007
The list of veteran education reporters who are leaving the newsroom just keeps getting longer. After over 20 years at the Hartford Courant, Robert Frahm recently took a buyout. He follows Dale Mezzecappa, Bob Sipchen, Richard Lee Colvin, Mike Bowler, and others who have left the education beat, most of them due to downsizing.
With an education team that once numbered four, the Hartford Courant (bought in 2001 by the Tribune Company) had cut and lost education reporters until Frahm was all but the last man standing, he said when I met him recently.
November 8, 2007
ConnCAN in the News
In Praise of Schools That Work
By Rick Green, The Hartford Courant, November 6, 2007
Good schools are where more children are learning more - not just the schools where the top achievers already attend.
It's time that we paid more attention to rewarding the achievement at Charter Oak, and others, such as New Beginnings Charter School in Bridgeport, Holmes School in New Britain and East School in Torrington..
"There are only seven other schools in the state that made a bigger jump," said Marc Porter McGee of ConnCan, a business-funded reform group.
Focusing on performance gains, instead of schools with just high test scores, will show us where the real learning is occurring, McGee said. Interestingly, among the top 10 elementary schools, seven are traditional public schools.
The list reveals a striking diversity, which means that it's not about where these schools are, but what goes on inside.
"A great school is a great school, regardless of the demographics," McGee said. "It's not about just moving kids along. It's about making more progress every year."
Report: Achievement gap closing in some Stamford, Norwalk schools
By Alexandra Fenwick, The Stamford Advocate, November 5, 2007
Last month, the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, a New Haven group, released its 2007 report, which rates the progress of elementary, middle and high schools in five categories.
Kendall in Norwalk increased its percentage of Hispanic students scoring within goal range to 63 percent, up from 56 percent last year. At Marvin, it was 58 percent. Kendall Principal Tony Ditrio said he likes accountability but it should be fair.
"I don't mind being judged by those (tests), I just want someone to take into account that traditionally some groups don't do as well as others," he said. "That's where the rubber meets the road and that's why ConnCAN is so important to us. Connecticut is mostly white and affluent and cities that are poor. Those rich communities don't have the issues we deal with. They look at NCLB and it's no big deal. They don't even get scored for half of the subgroups because they don't have enough kids."
No Child Left Behind does not measure subgroups, such as black, Hispanic or low-income students, if fewer than 40 such students are in a school.
"The most important indicator is growth of students' scores in schools," said Marc Porter Magee, ConnCAN director of communications and research. "If you look at a snapshot, schools like Wilton or Greenwich are at the top, but they're not necessarily adding more value. Their students come in at 90 percent and maybe go up to 91 percent. But when you look at a cohort of students, the same class from year to year, some schools are making huge gains year to year and being overlooked."
News Articles
Ohio Goes After Charter Schools That Are Failing
By Sam Dillon, The New York Times, November 8, 2007
Ohio became a test tube for the nation’s charter school movement during a decade of Republican rule here, when a wide-open authorization system and plenty of government seed money led to the schools’ explosive proliferation.
But their record has been spotty. This year, the state’s school report card gave more than half of Ohio’s 328 charter schools a D or an F.
Charter school advocates worry that Mr. Dann’s crackdown may prove popular with Democratic and independent voters nationwide. Ohio’s labor leaders enthusiastically applaud it.
“If chronically lousy charters aren’t closed, the charter movement will continue under assault from its opponents,” said Todd Ziebarth, a policy analyst at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Free online materials could save schools billions
By Greg Toppo, USA Today, November 7, 2007
Since March, Dixon Deutsch and his students have been quietly experimenting with a little website that could one day rock the foundation of how schools do business.
A K-2 teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary Charter School in Brooklyn, N.Y., Deutsch, 28, has been using Free-Reading.net, a reading instruction program that allows him to download, copy and share lessons with colleagues.
But perhaps the most significant development is at the most elementary level. Last fall, a Florida textbook adoption committee approved Free-Reading, a remediation program for primary-school children that's believed to be the first free, open-source reading program for K-12 public schools. It's awaiting approval by Eric Smith, the state's incoming education commissioner, who could approve it by mid-December.
Florida is one of the top five textbook markets in the USA, so its move could lead to the development of other free materials that might someday challenge the dominance of a handful of big educational publishers.
"This is an important and perhaps powerful initiative," says Adam Newman of Eduventures, an education research and consulting firm in Boston. "Those adoption lists are sort of hallowed ground, so to be approved for one of those is a breakthrough."
Schools chief opens door to coffee talk
By Kate Ramunni, The Connecticut Post, November 6, 2007
Superintendent MaryAnne Mascolo took over the helm of the Seymour Public Schools this year after former Supt. Tom Petruny retired. One of her priorities is to increase communication between administrators and parents, she said.
The meetings, which also feature coffee, muffins and Danish, are held alternately in the mornings and evenings to accommodate parents' schedules, Mascolo said. The December meeting will be held Dec. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Parents are welcome to talk about anything on their minds, she said, though she does ask that if it is something that will need to be researched that she be notified about it before the meeting.
Teamwork among teachers aims to improve learning
By Rachael Scarborough King, The New Haven Register, November 5, 2007
A model for reorganizing the teaching process has educators in two local towns excited about teachers working together to close achievement gaps.
In the North Branford and Guilford school districts, administrators and board of education members have spent a lot of time lately talking about the concept of "professional learning communities."
According to the experts, the system will bring teachers out of their individual classrooms and have them working in groups to instill focus on learning rather than teaching.
ConnCAN in the News
In Praise of Schools That Work
By Rick Green, The Hartford Courant, November 6, 2007
Good schools are where more children are learning more - not just the schools where the top achievers already attend.
It's time that we paid more attention to rewarding the achievement at Charter Oak, and others, such as New Beginnings Charter School in Bridgeport, Holmes School in New Britain and East School in Torrington..
"There are only seven other schools in the state that made a bigger jump," said Marc Porter McGee of ConnCan, a business-funded reform group.
Focusing on performance gains, instead of schools with just high test scores, will show us where the real learning is occurring, McGee said. Interestingly, among the top 10 elementary schools, seven are traditional public schools.
The list reveals a striking diversity, which means that it's not about where these schools are, but what goes on inside.
"A great school is a great school, regardless of the demographics," McGee said. "It's not about just moving kids along. It's about making more progress every year."
Report: Achievement gap closing in some Stamford, Norwalk schools
By Alexandra Fenwick, The Stamford Advocate, November 5, 2007
Last month, the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, a New Haven group, released its 2007 report, which rates the progress of elementary, middle and high schools in five categories.
Kendall in Norwalk increased its percentage of Hispanic students scoring within goal range to 63 percent, up from 56 percent last year. At Marvin, it was 58 percent. Kendall Principal Tony Ditrio said he likes accountability but it should be fair.
"I don't mind being judged by those (tests), I just want someone to take into account that traditionally some groups don't do as well as others," he said. "That's where the rubber meets the road and that's why ConnCAN is so important to us. Connecticut is mostly white and affluent and cities that are poor. Those rich communities don't have the issues we deal with. They look at NCLB and it's no big deal. They don't even get scored for half of the subgroups because they don't have enough kids."
No Child Left Behind does not measure subgroups, such as black, Hispanic or low-income students, if fewer than 40 such students are in a school.
"The most important indicator is growth of students' scores in schools," said Marc Porter Magee, ConnCAN director of communications and research. "If you look at a snapshot, schools like Wilton or Greenwich are at the top, but they're not necessarily adding more value. Their students come in at 90 percent and maybe go up to 91 percent. But when you look at a cohort of students, the same class from year to year, some schools are making huge gains year to year and being overlooked."
News Articles
Ohio Goes After Charter Schools That Are Failing
By Sam Dillon, The New York Times, November 8, 2007
Ohio became a test tube for the nation’s charter school movement during a decade of Republican rule here, when a wide-open authorization system and plenty of government seed money led to the schools’ explosive proliferation.
But their record has been spotty. This year, the state’s school report card gave more than half of Ohio’s 328 charter schools a D or an F.
Charter school advocates worry that Mr. Dann’s crackdown may prove popular with Democratic and independent voters nationwide. Ohio’s labor leaders enthusiastically applaud it.
“If chronically lousy charters aren’t closed, the charter movement will continue under assault from its opponents,” said Todd Ziebarth, a policy analyst at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Free online materials could save schools billions
By Greg Toppo, USA Today, November 7, 2007
Since March, Dixon Deutsch and his students have been quietly experimenting with a little website that could one day rock the foundation of how schools do business.
A K-2 teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary Charter School in Brooklyn, N.Y., Deutsch, 28, has been using Free-Reading.net, a reading instruction program that allows him to download, copy and share lessons with colleagues.
But perhaps the most significant development is at the most elementary level. Last fall, a Florida textbook adoption committee approved Free-Reading, a remediation program for primary-school children that's believed to be the first free, open-source reading program for K-12 public schools. It's awaiting approval by Eric Smith, the state's incoming education commissioner, who could approve it by mid-December.
Florida is one of the top five textbook markets in the USA, so its move could lead to the development of other free materials that might someday challenge the dominance of a handful of big educational publishers.
"This is an important and perhaps powerful initiative," says Adam Newman of Eduventures, an education research and consulting firm in Boston. "Those adoption lists are sort of hallowed ground, so to be approved for one of those is a breakthrough."
Schools chief opens door to coffee talk
By Kate Ramunni, The Connecticut Post, November 6, 2007
Superintendent MaryAnne Mascolo took over the helm of the Seymour Public Schools this year after former Supt. Tom Petruny retired. One of her priorities is to increase communication between administrators and parents, she said.
The meetings, which also feature coffee, muffins and Danish, are held alternately in the mornings and evenings to accommodate parents' schedules, Mascolo said. The December meeting will be held Dec. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Parents are welcome to talk about anything on their minds, she said, though she does ask that if it is something that will need to be researched that she be notified about it before the meeting.
Teamwork among teachers aims to improve learning
By Rachael Scarborough King, The New Haven Register, November 5, 2007
A model for reorganizing the teaching process has educators in two local towns excited about teachers working together to close achievement gaps.
In the North Branford and Guilford school districts, administrators and board of education members have spent a lot of time lately talking about the concept of "professional learning communities."
According to the experts, the system will bring teachers out of their individual classrooms and have them working in groups to instill focus on learning rather than teaching.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
November 5, 2007
Opinions and Editorials
What Every Child Needs
By Ann Hulbert, The New York Times, October 28, 2007
Calling for an overhaul of the current patchwork of uneven preschool programs, UPK proponents invoke neuroscientific evidence of brain growth rather than child-care needs. They cite the long-term economic benefits of an early investment in boosting “cognitive skills” and “school readiness,” especially for low-income children. There is little mention of, say, pretend play in the pitch for government-subsidized pre-K, which supporters argue should be affordable and available (though not necessarily mandatory) for all.
The universal-preschool mission, too often dismissed as nanny-state meddling, capitalizes on the inclusive No Child Left Behind drive to close the K-12 achievement gap: the moment is ripe to reach downward to the post-diaper and pre-backpack stage, where disparities between white and minority students start.
News Articles
Schools: A Shift Of Views On Sheff
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, November 5, 2007
A decade after the state Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of schools across Greater Hartford in the landmark Sheff v. O'Neill case, the goal of integration remains elusive.
Magnet schools, the cornerstone of the state's plan to bring together white children and children of color using voluntary incentives, have fallen short. Hartford's schools still have a population that is predominantly black, Hispanic and poor.
Now, as the Sheff plaintiffs head back to court Tuesday to demand the state make good on its assurances, advocates of integration are facing increasing skepticism on the part of both state lawmakers and city officials over both the cost - and value - of continuing down the same path.
Shelton receives state grant for school readiness classroom
By Gabriella Doob, The Shelton Weekly, November 2, 2007
The Shelton Board of Education was recently awarded one of four new State Readiness Grants from the Connecticut Departments of Education and Social Services. The grant of $107,000 will go to fund a full-day, full-year preschool program for Shelton children ages 3 to 5.
The purpose of the program is to make affordable preschool available to Shelton families, said Patricia Curran, chair of the School Readiness Council and director of instruction for the Shelton Board of Education.
School board candidates facing big issues
By Christine McCluskey, The Journal Inquirer, November 1, 2007
MANCHESTER - Board of Education candidates have proposed a lot of big ideas over the past several weeks, from an achievement gap task force to report cards for parents, as they hope for a future on a board for which improving student achievement will be more important than ever.
Opinions and Editorials
What Every Child Needs
By Ann Hulbert, The New York Times, October 28, 2007
Calling for an overhaul of the current patchwork of uneven preschool programs, UPK proponents invoke neuroscientific evidence of brain growth rather than child-care needs. They cite the long-term economic benefits of an early investment in boosting “cognitive skills” and “school readiness,” especially for low-income children. There is little mention of, say, pretend play in the pitch for government-subsidized pre-K, which supporters argue should be affordable and available (though not necessarily mandatory) for all.
The universal-preschool mission, too often dismissed as nanny-state meddling, capitalizes on the inclusive No Child Left Behind drive to close the K-12 achievement gap: the moment is ripe to reach downward to the post-diaper and pre-backpack stage, where disparities between white and minority students start.
News Articles
Schools: A Shift Of Views On Sheff
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, November 5, 2007
A decade after the state Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of schools across Greater Hartford in the landmark Sheff v. O'Neill case, the goal of integration remains elusive.
Magnet schools, the cornerstone of the state's plan to bring together white children and children of color using voluntary incentives, have fallen short. Hartford's schools still have a population that is predominantly black, Hispanic and poor.
Now, as the Sheff plaintiffs head back to court Tuesday to demand the state make good on its assurances, advocates of integration are facing increasing skepticism on the part of both state lawmakers and city officials over both the cost - and value - of continuing down the same path.
Shelton receives state grant for school readiness classroom
By Gabriella Doob, The Shelton Weekly, November 2, 2007
The Shelton Board of Education was recently awarded one of four new State Readiness Grants from the Connecticut Departments of Education and Social Services. The grant of $107,000 will go to fund a full-day, full-year preschool program for Shelton children ages 3 to 5.
The purpose of the program is to make affordable preschool available to Shelton families, said Patricia Curran, chair of the School Readiness Council and director of instruction for the Shelton Board of Education.
School board candidates facing big issues
By Christine McCluskey, The Journal Inquirer, November 1, 2007
MANCHESTER - Board of Education candidates have proposed a lot of big ideas over the past several weeks, from an achievement gap task force to report cards for parents, as they hope for a future on a board for which improving student achievement will be more important than ever.
November 1, 2007
ConnCAN in the News - Television
“Dropout Factories”
WTNH News Channel 8
October 30, 2007
“We're the state with the largest achievement gap in the country which means that we have some students that are performing great and some students whose scores place them near the bottom of the nation.”
Marc Porter Magee is director of research for the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, which just published its study of Connecticut schools. He says there are schools like Troup magnet middle school in New Haven that are closing the gap.
“What it takes to turn it around is a school that organizes itself around catching kids up, around reaching every child.”
(Click on “Click for QuickView” to view the television segments.)
E-Newsletters
By Coby Loup, The Education Gadfly, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, November 1, 2007
ConnCAN's second annual report on Connecticut's public schools is pretty gloomy. To start, only a third of minority and low-income students are meeting state goals on the Connecticut Mastery Test, compared with two-thirds of middle-class white students. And the gap is widening.
Although pupils in all subgroups made similar gains on the state test in elementary school last year, by middle school low-income and minority students had fallen behind their white peers. In terms of income, Connecticut's 8th-grade gaps in reading and math are the widest in the country.
Thankfully, a few daisies sprout through the weeds. The state's handful of charter schools, for instance, which serve substantially more minority and low-income students than traditional schools, made greater overall gains on the state test last year.
Newspapers
Handful of city schools among Top 10 for student improvement
By Marie Garriga, The New Haven Register, October 30, 2007
Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, a nonprofit agency dedicated to closing the achievement gap between poor and "non-poor" students, issued its 2007 Report Card on 1,000 Connecticut Schools and a set of Top 10 lists for schools that raise student achievement.
New Haven’s Amistad Academy and Elm City Preparatory School made their usual strong appearance in the Top 10 lists for middle schools. New Haven’s magnet schools, including Lincoln-Basset International Baccalaureate Magnet School and Troup Magnet Academy of Sciences in New Haven, also won spots.
"A number of outstanding educators in a variety of public schools across Connecticut are blazing a trail and delivering dramatic gains in student achievement," said Alex Johnston, ConnCAN’s executive director. "These Top 10 Schools are a great place to start in looking for broader solutions in the effort to close our state’s achievement gap."
Hamilton Ave. among schools rewarded by town firm for significant achievement
By Wynne Parry, Greenwich Times, October 31 2007
Five Fairfield County elementary schools that have made progress erasing gaps in achievement while pushing all students forward were honored last night at an awards ceremony at Norwalk Community College. The top winner was Rogers Magnet Elementary School in Stamford.
Twenty percent of Rogers students improved their standardized test performance to reach the state's goal range from 2006 to 2007, according to the nonprofit group ConnCAN's school report card.
Hamilton Avenue School has had similar success. Four years ago, it was ranked at the bottom among schools in its district, according to Principal Damaris Rau. Now it is ranked third in the state for most improved elementary, according to ConnCAN.
News Articles
'Parent report card' proposal draws national attention, local opposition
By Christine McCluskey, The Journal Inquirer
MANCHESTER - The parent report card proposal Board of Education member Steven "Moose" Edwards outlined last week gained national attention this morning with a feature on NBC's "Today" show.
The point isn't to punish parents, Edwards says, but to identify the families who could most benefit from school-based assistance programs. An example might be extra tutoring for students whose parents can't help with homework, he has said.
But the proposal has generated strong criticism both in Manchester and elsewhere.
It's "absolutely the worst idea I've ever heard," said Democratic school board member Michael E. Pohl, who also is on the ballot next week. Pohl said a parent report card could be used in a custody battle as evidence against a parent and would be unfair to single parents who have to work more than one job.
Official Proposes Grading Parents: Report Cards Pitched For Moms And Dads
By Jim Farrell, The Hartford Courant, October 29, 2007
He knows the experiment quickly failed when it was tried in Chicago seven years ago, but a school board member in Manchester is nonetheless suggesting that his district institute a parent report card program.
Edwards wants parents and guardians to be evaluated in areas that include whether they ensure that their child gets to school on time, with homework completed, and properly nourished and dressed for the weather.
He said the program would not be punitive, but instead would help the district identify struggling parents who might need support.
ConnCAN in the News - Television
“Dropout Factories”
WTNH News Channel 8
October 30, 2007
“We're the state with the largest achievement gap in the country which means that we have some students that are performing great and some students whose scores place them near the bottom of the nation.”
Marc Porter Magee is director of research for the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, which just published its study of Connecticut schools. He says there are schools like Troup magnet middle school in New Haven that are closing the gap.
“What it takes to turn it around is a school that organizes itself around catching kids up, around reaching every child.”
(Click on “Click for QuickView” to view the television segments.)
E-Newsletters
By Coby Loup, The Education Gadfly, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, November 1, 2007
ConnCAN's second annual report on Connecticut's public schools is pretty gloomy. To start, only a third of minority and low-income students are meeting state goals on the Connecticut Mastery Test, compared with two-thirds of middle-class white students. And the gap is widening.
Although pupils in all subgroups made similar gains on the state test in elementary school last year, by middle school low-income and minority students had fallen behind their white peers. In terms of income, Connecticut's 8th-grade gaps in reading and math are the widest in the country.
Thankfully, a few daisies sprout through the weeds. The state's handful of charter schools, for instance, which serve substantially more minority and low-income students than traditional schools, made greater overall gains on the state test last year.
Newspapers
Handful of city schools among Top 10 for student improvement
By Marie Garriga, The New Haven Register, October 30, 2007
Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, a nonprofit agency dedicated to closing the achievement gap between poor and "non-poor" students, issued its 2007 Report Card on 1,000 Connecticut Schools and a set of Top 10 lists for schools that raise student achievement.
New Haven’s Amistad Academy and Elm City Preparatory School made their usual strong appearance in the Top 10 lists for middle schools. New Haven’s magnet schools, including Lincoln-Basset International Baccalaureate Magnet School and Troup Magnet Academy of Sciences in New Haven, also won spots.
"A number of outstanding educators in a variety of public schools across Connecticut are blazing a trail and delivering dramatic gains in student achievement," said Alex Johnston, ConnCAN’s executive director. "These Top 10 Schools are a great place to start in looking for broader solutions in the effort to close our state’s achievement gap."
Hamilton Ave. among schools rewarded by town firm for significant achievement
By Wynne Parry, Greenwich Times, October 31 2007
Five Fairfield County elementary schools that have made progress erasing gaps in achievement while pushing all students forward were honored last night at an awards ceremony at Norwalk Community College. The top winner was Rogers Magnet Elementary School in Stamford.
Twenty percent of Rogers students improved their standardized test performance to reach the state's goal range from 2006 to 2007, according to the nonprofit group ConnCAN's school report card.
Hamilton Avenue School has had similar success. Four years ago, it was ranked at the bottom among schools in its district, according to Principal Damaris Rau. Now it is ranked third in the state for most improved elementary, according to ConnCAN.
News Articles
'Parent report card' proposal draws national attention, local opposition
By Christine McCluskey, The Journal Inquirer
MANCHESTER - The parent report card proposal Board of Education member Steven "Moose" Edwards outlined last week gained national attention this morning with a feature on NBC's "Today" show.
The point isn't to punish parents, Edwards says, but to identify the families who could most benefit from school-based assistance programs. An example might be extra tutoring for students whose parents can't help with homework, he has said.
But the proposal has generated strong criticism both in Manchester and elsewhere.
It's "absolutely the worst idea I've ever heard," said Democratic school board member Michael E. Pohl, who also is on the ballot next week. Pohl said a parent report card could be used in a custody battle as evidence against a parent and would be unfair to single parents who have to work more than one job.
Official Proposes Grading Parents: Report Cards Pitched For Moms And Dads
By Jim Farrell, The Hartford Courant, October 29, 2007
He knows the experiment quickly failed when it was tried in Chicago seven years ago, but a school board member in Manchester is nonetheless suggesting that his district institute a parent report card program.
Edwards wants parents and guardians to be evaluated in areas that include whether they ensure that their child gets to school on time, with homework completed, and properly nourished and dressed for the weather.
He said the program would not be punitive, but instead would help the district identify struggling parents who might need support.
October 29, 2007
Opinions and Editorials
Parent-focused Board of Education would be refreshing
By Bill Doak, East Hartford Gazette, October 26, 2007
East Hartford Public Schools have never needed good leadership more. Meetings are racked with bitterness and infighting, tensions at an all-time high, and town schools have never been ranked worse than recently.
This is because the size of the school leadership pie has gotten smaller and smaller. PTOs and PTAs are not producing the school and community leaders like they once did. Board of Education members don't have kids enrolled in the school system, so they are not as immediately aware of what is going on in the rapidly-changing hallways of town schools. Of those running, only Jim McElroy and Dorese Roberts have children in the school system. That's it.
What East Hartford needs - desperately - is quality programs. Quality programs, yes, for the academically talented kid, but quality programs that discover the talents in all.
We need better. The consequence in not electing good leaders? No one is held accountable, standards are ill-defined and the next crop of talented teachers ends up looking anywhere but East Hartford for a job. That, East Hartford, is something we can't allow. And that is how important your vote November 6 is.
News Articles
Education issues spark Torrington debate
By Megan Broderick, The Republican American, October 24, 2007
Torrington High School's 20 percent dropout rate, the need for increased parent involvement in the school system and problems at Torrington Middle School were some of the top issues discussed by Board of Education and mayoral candidates in an education debate Wednesday night.
Consultant begins assessment of East Hartford schools
By Ben Rubin, Journal Inquirer, October 24, 20007
EAST HARTFORD - The state Department of Education this week brought in a consulting group to assess the entire school system, prompted by years of sagging test scores.
The agency will be visiting classrooms and meeting with parents, students, teachers, and administrators in each school system to see what key changes can be made to raise student achievement.
"We really see this as an opportunity to partner with the districts so we can see improvement," Deborah Richards, acting chief of the newly created state education Bureau of Accountability, Compliance, and Monitoring.
More Manchester students attending magnet schools
By Christine McCluskey, Journal Inquirer, October 23, 2007
MANCHESTER - The enrollment of Manchester students in the town's public elementary, middle, and high schools over the past year fell more than projected while enrollment in out-of-town magnet schools jumped by almost 50 percent.
Author: Minority Education Needs Solutions
By Katie Warchut, The Day, October 23, 2007
New London — It's time to stop making excuses when children of color do not achieve, diversity expert Glenn Singleton told an audience of educators and students Monday.
Blaming their families, income, or inability to speak English, he said, is a copout.“Let's talk about race,” Singleton said. “Everything else is just a smokescreen.”
Magnet schools: Attractive enough?
By Andrew Shaw, The Greenwich Time, October 22, 2007
The lack of interest in applying to the magnet school is forcing administrators to consider changes in the program. A committee will examine all facets of the three magnet schools and better monitor student applications. Some advocate not adding more magnet schools until there is a better understanding of what works and what doesn't.
Moms, Dads Urged To Be Stronger Advocates
By Susan Campbell, The Hartford Courant, October 21, 2007
Participants in a Saturday parent advocacy meeting came dressed mostly in their Sunday best, which was fitting because the meeting of the advocacy group CT Parent Power felt like a revival.
CT Parent Power is a 5-year-old grass-roots nonprofit organization, said Tauna Idone, the organization's community coordinator. Members learn to advocate for their children, speak with legislators, rally voters, and encourage other parents to get involved.
Opinions and Editorials
Parent-focused Board of Education would be refreshing
By Bill Doak, East Hartford Gazette, October 26, 2007
East Hartford Public Schools have never needed good leadership more. Meetings are racked with bitterness and infighting, tensions at an all-time high, and town schools have never been ranked worse than recently.
This is because the size of the school leadership pie has gotten smaller and smaller. PTOs and PTAs are not producing the school and community leaders like they once did. Board of Education members don't have kids enrolled in the school system, so they are not as immediately aware of what is going on in the rapidly-changing hallways of town schools. Of those running, only Jim McElroy and Dorese Roberts have children in the school system. That's it.
What East Hartford needs - desperately - is quality programs. Quality programs, yes, for the academically talented kid, but quality programs that discover the talents in all.
We need better. The consequence in not electing good leaders? No one is held accountable, standards are ill-defined and the next crop of talented teachers ends up looking anywhere but East Hartford for a job. That, East Hartford, is something we can't allow. And that is how important your vote November 6 is.
News Articles
Education issues spark Torrington debate
By Megan Broderick, The Republican American, October 24, 2007
Torrington High School's 20 percent dropout rate, the need for increased parent involvement in the school system and problems at Torrington Middle School were some of the top issues discussed by Board of Education and mayoral candidates in an education debate Wednesday night.
Consultant begins assessment of East Hartford schools
By Ben Rubin, Journal Inquirer, October 24, 20007
EAST HARTFORD - The state Department of Education this week brought in a consulting group to assess the entire school system, prompted by years of sagging test scores.
The agency will be visiting classrooms and meeting with parents, students, teachers, and administrators in each school system to see what key changes can be made to raise student achievement.
"We really see this as an opportunity to partner with the districts so we can see improvement," Deborah Richards, acting chief of the newly created state education Bureau of Accountability, Compliance, and Monitoring.
More Manchester students attending magnet schools
By Christine McCluskey, Journal Inquirer, October 23, 2007
MANCHESTER - The enrollment of Manchester students in the town's public elementary, middle, and high schools over the past year fell more than projected while enrollment in out-of-town magnet schools jumped by almost 50 percent.
Author: Minority Education Needs Solutions
By Katie Warchut, The Day, October 23, 2007
New London — It's time to stop making excuses when children of color do not achieve, diversity expert Glenn Singleton told an audience of educators and students Monday.
Blaming their families, income, or inability to speak English, he said, is a copout.“Let's talk about race,” Singleton said. “Everything else is just a smokescreen.”
Magnet schools: Attractive enough?
By Andrew Shaw, The Greenwich Time, October 22, 2007
The lack of interest in applying to the magnet school is forcing administrators to consider changes in the program. A committee will examine all facets of the three magnet schools and better monitor student applications. Some advocate not adding more magnet schools until there is a better understanding of what works and what doesn't.
Moms, Dads Urged To Be Stronger Advocates
By Susan Campbell, The Hartford Courant, October 21, 2007
Participants in a Saturday parent advocacy meeting came dressed mostly in their Sunday best, which was fitting because the meeting of the advocacy group CT Parent Power felt like a revival.
CT Parent Power is a 5-year-old grass-roots nonprofit organization, said Tauna Idone, the organization's community coordinator. Members learn to advocate for their children, speak with legislators, rally voters, and encourage other parents to get involved.
October 22, 2007
Opinions and Editorials
Magnet school aid may need adjusting
The New Haven Register, October 21, 2007
A change in how the state distributes local school aid may jeopardize Connecticut's most successful effort to integrate inner-city schools by attracting suburban students.
The result of the changes in the aid formula mean that New Haven could lose $2 million in the 2008 school year and $4 million in the 2009 school year for its magnet school budget. The city could bill the suburban student's home district, but that district as well as New Haven or other magnet host districts will see a 25 percent drop next year and a 50 percent drop the following year in its main state education grant for each student attending a magnet school.
The result may be, as New Haven fears, that suburban districts will no longer send as many students to city magnet schools because of the loss of state aid. As with charter schools that draw their enrollment from public schools, state aid should follow the student. Taxpayers should not pay twice for a student's education.
News Articles
Board Of Education Faces Challenge Of Closing 'the Achievement Gap'
By Elaine Stroll, The Day, October 21, 2007
New London — Twelve candidates from three political parties are seeking two-year terms on the seven-member Board of Education.
The school board will face a number of important issues in the next two years. The biggest, according to current President Alvin G. Kinsall, is “working toward closing the achievement gap.” Besides seeking an overall increase in test scores, Kinsall said, the school board must address a disparity between the test scores of white students and the lower scores of their black and Hispanic counterparts.
The board also must continue work to lower dropout rates and boost retention and graduation rates, said Kinsall and current board member James Pearce.
Teachers haven't heard last of performance pay proposal
By Andrew Shaw, Greenwich Time, October 21, 2007
The arbitration ruling on Thursday that turned down performance pay for some non-tenured Greenwich teachers led to jubilant responses from state teacher unions, but local and state Boards of Education predict the performance pay issue isn't dead yet.
It was teachers, though, who claimed victory in the first performance pay proposal of its kind in Connecticut. Performance pay was lambasted by the Greenwich Education Association for creating what they believe is a corporate culture inside the classroom, although the Board of Education saw it as a means of attracting top teachers by giving bonuses for good work.
Teachers Agree to Bonus Pay Tied to Scores
By Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, October 18, 2007
The Bloomberg administration and the New York City teachers’ union announced an agreement yesterday on a plan that would give teachers bonuses based largely on the overall test scores of students at schools that have high concentrations of poor children.
The plan, negotiated for months, is a major breakthrough for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who for years has advocated extra pay to reward high-performing teachers.
In a bow to the union, the bonus money would go to schools for overall performance, and then would be distributed to teachers. The agreement also gave the union something it had long sought: city backing for senior teachers to retire with full pension benefits, five years earlier than they can now.
Special ed teacher certification pushed
By Linda Conner Lambeck, The Connecticut Post, October 18, 2007
BRIDGEPORT — Southern Connecticut State University's program to turn teacher aides here into fully certified special education teachers in a year, at no cost, has yet to reach its full enrollment of 30 participants.
The program is that tough.
Already offered in New Haven and Hartford, the program has yet to attract a full contingent of 30 participants who stick with the program through completion. New Haven has had about 17 complete the program; Hartford, 10.
Panel drops plan to close middle school
By Chris Gosier, The Stamford Advocate, October 19, 2007
The committee, which is exploring ways to reduce overcrowding and socio-economically balance schools, decided yesterday that closing Turn of River Middle School - or any middle school - would not save enough money to justify the disruption to students and families.
The committee also decided merging Westover and Hart magnet elementary schools isn't the best way to balance the two schools' populations.
Those ideas had arisen from the committee's months long discussion about redistricting, or revamping district boundaries so that no schools are crowded and that all have about the same socioeconomic makeup as the entire city.
Opinions and Editorials
Magnet school aid may need adjusting
The New Haven Register, October 21, 2007
A change in how the state distributes local school aid may jeopardize Connecticut's most successful effort to integrate inner-city schools by attracting suburban students.
The result of the changes in the aid formula mean that New Haven could lose $2 million in the 2008 school year and $4 million in the 2009 school year for its magnet school budget. The city could bill the suburban student's home district, but that district as well as New Haven or other magnet host districts will see a 25 percent drop next year and a 50 percent drop the following year in its main state education grant for each student attending a magnet school.
The result may be, as New Haven fears, that suburban districts will no longer send as many students to city magnet schools because of the loss of state aid. As with charter schools that draw their enrollment from public schools, state aid should follow the student. Taxpayers should not pay twice for a student's education.
News Articles
Board Of Education Faces Challenge Of Closing 'the Achievement Gap'
By Elaine Stroll, The Day, October 21, 2007
New London — Twelve candidates from three political parties are seeking two-year terms on the seven-member Board of Education.
The school board will face a number of important issues in the next two years. The biggest, according to current President Alvin G. Kinsall, is “working toward closing the achievement gap.” Besides seeking an overall increase in test scores, Kinsall said, the school board must address a disparity between the test scores of white students and the lower scores of their black and Hispanic counterparts.
The board also must continue work to lower dropout rates and boost retention and graduation rates, said Kinsall and current board member James Pearce.
Teachers haven't heard last of performance pay proposal
By Andrew Shaw, Greenwich Time, October 21, 2007
The arbitration ruling on Thursday that turned down performance pay for some non-tenured Greenwich teachers led to jubilant responses from state teacher unions, but local and state Boards of Education predict the performance pay issue isn't dead yet.
It was teachers, though, who claimed victory in the first performance pay proposal of its kind in Connecticut. Performance pay was lambasted by the Greenwich Education Association for creating what they believe is a corporate culture inside the classroom, although the Board of Education saw it as a means of attracting top teachers by giving bonuses for good work.
Teachers Agree to Bonus Pay Tied to Scores
By Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, October 18, 2007
The Bloomberg administration and the New York City teachers’ union announced an agreement yesterday on a plan that would give teachers bonuses based largely on the overall test scores of students at schools that have high concentrations of poor children.
The plan, negotiated for months, is a major breakthrough for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who for years has advocated extra pay to reward high-performing teachers.
In a bow to the union, the bonus money would go to schools for overall performance, and then would be distributed to teachers. The agreement also gave the union something it had long sought: city backing for senior teachers to retire with full pension benefits, five years earlier than they can now.
Special ed teacher certification pushed
By Linda Conner Lambeck, The Connecticut Post, October 18, 2007
BRIDGEPORT — Southern Connecticut State University's program to turn teacher aides here into fully certified special education teachers in a year, at no cost, has yet to reach its full enrollment of 30 participants.
The program is that tough.
Already offered in New Haven and Hartford, the program has yet to attract a full contingent of 30 participants who stick with the program through completion. New Haven has had about 17 complete the program; Hartford, 10.
Panel drops plan to close middle school
By Chris Gosier, The Stamford Advocate, October 19, 2007
The committee, which is exploring ways to reduce overcrowding and socio-economically balance schools, decided yesterday that closing Turn of River Middle School - or any middle school - would not save enough money to justify the disruption to students and families.
The committee also decided merging Westover and Hart magnet elementary schools isn't the best way to balance the two schools' populations.
Those ideas had arisen from the committee's months long discussion about redistricting, or revamping district boundaries so that no schools are crowded and that all have about the same socioeconomic makeup as the entire city.
October 18, 2007
News Articles
School Redesign Procedure OK'd: Questions Remain About Assignment Of Teachers In Affected Facilities
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, October 17, 2007
The school board approved a plan Tuesday that roughly lays out the process for redesigning schools that consistently perform poorly, but it left vague questions about what will happen to teachers and other staff at schools that go through transformations.
Under the new policy, Hartford schools that perform substantially below the proficient level for two consecutive years without improvement, or fail to make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind law for five consecutive years, may be redesigned or their buildings may be used for a different purpose.
A Post-Katrina Charter School in New Orleans Gets a Second Chance
By Joseph Berger, The New York Times, October 17, 2007
Despite the heartbreaking destruction it left behind, Hurricane Katrina created tantalizing opportunities, including the chance of a fresh start for a majority of this city’s schools, which had been among the nation’s worst.
The remedy that officials chose was to turn 40 of the roughly 80 salvaged schools over to state-chartered and state-financed groups of business and community leaders, and to let them provide oversight with fewer of the bureaucratic rules that hobble school leaders. Conversion to charters is a free-market strategy that the Bush administration champions, and in Louisiana it backed its belief with $24 million.
Schools can handle racial achievement gap without task force, Republican candidate says
By, Christine McCluskey, The Journal Enquirer, October 15, 2007
MANCHESTER - A Board of Education candidate says his opponent's proposal for a task force on the racial achievement gap is well-intentioned, but bypasses the ongoing efforts of school-system administrators
"I just think that we have a lot of the experts right in our central office," Moran added.
Schools await OK for improvement plan
By Linda Conner Lambeck, The Connecticut Post, October 15, 2007
The state is withholding $2 million from Bridgeport schools until it can show how it will use the money to improve education. Local school officials submitted a plan to the state late last month, and Supt. of Schools John Ramos met with McQuillan last week.
The commissioner has offered to let the district stagger the assessments. Instead of having a consultant critique 18 schools this year, at a cost of $7,000 apiece, the district can do 12 this year and six next year, said Thomas Murphy a state Department of Education spokesman.
Rollback: School Integration Efforts Face Renewed Opposition; Supreme Court Ruling Sways Milton Battle; Off to Private School
By Joseph Pereira, Wall Street Journal, Oct 11, 2007
Last spring, town officials in this affluent Boston suburb changed the elementary-school assignments for 38 streets -- and sparked outrage. Some white families had been reassigned to Tucker, a mostly black school which has historically had Milton's lowest test scores.
Among those reassigned is Kevin Keating, a white parent who is talking to lawyers about going to court to reverse the plan. I "just don't feel good putting [my son] in an inferior school," he says. His ammunition: the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling that consideration of race in school assignments is unconstitutional. Without the backing of the Supreme Court, Mr. Keating says his effort wouldn't have "much of a standing."
News Articles
School Redesign Procedure OK'd: Questions Remain About Assignment Of Teachers In Affected Facilities
By Rachel Gottlieb Frank, The Hartford Courant, October 17, 2007
The school board approved a plan Tuesday that roughly lays out the process for redesigning schools that consistently perform poorly, but it left vague questions about what will happen to teachers and other staff at schools that go through transformations.
Under the new policy, Hartford schools that perform substantially below the proficient level for two consecutive years without improvement, or fail to make adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind law for five consecutive years, may be redesigned or their buildings may be used for a different purpose.
A Post-Katrina Charter School in New Orleans Gets a Second Chance
By Joseph Berger, The New York Times, October 17, 2007
Despite the heartbreaking destruction it left behind, Hurricane Katrina created tantalizing opportunities, including the chance of a fresh start for a majority of this city’s schools, which had been among the nation’s worst.
The remedy that officials chose was to turn 40 of the roughly 80 salvaged schools over to state-chartered and state-financed groups of business and community leaders, and to let them provide oversight with fewer of the bureaucratic rules that hobble school leaders. Conversion to charters is a free-market strategy that the Bush administration champions, and in Louisiana it backed its belief with $24 million.
Schools can handle racial achievement gap without task force, Republican candidate says
By, Christine McCluskey, The Journal Enquirer, October 15, 2007
MANCHESTER - A Board of Education candidate says his opponent's proposal for a task force on the racial achievement gap is well-intentioned, but bypasses the ongoing efforts of school-system administrators
"I just think that we have a lot of the experts right in our central office," Moran added.
Schools await OK for improvement plan
By Linda Conner Lambeck, The Connecticut Post, October 15, 2007
The state is withholding $2 million from Bridgeport schools until it can show how it will use the money to improve education. Local school officials submitted a plan to the state late last month, and Supt. of Schools John Ramos met with McQuillan last week.
The commissioner has offered to let the district stagger the assessments. Instead of having a consultant critique 18 schools this year, at a cost of $7,000 apiece, the district can do 12 this year and six next year, said Thomas Murphy a state Department of Education spokesman.
Rollback: School Integration Efforts Face Renewed Opposition; Supreme Court Ruling Sways Milton Battle; Off to Private School
By Joseph Pereira, Wall Street Journal, Oct 11, 2007
Last spring, town officials in this affluent Boston suburb changed the elementary-school assignments for 38 streets -- and sparked outrage. Some white families had been reassigned to Tucker, a mostly black school which has historically had Milton's lowest test scores.
Among those reassigned is Kevin Keating, a white parent who is talking to lawyers about going to court to reverse the plan. I "just don't feel good putting [my son] in an inferior school," he says. His ammunition: the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling that consideration of race in school assignments is unconstitutional. Without the backing of the Supreme Court, Mr. Keating says his effort wouldn't have "much of a standing."
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