AUGUST 2016 ARTICLES
August 31, 2016
Norwich Bulletin: Education commissioner: Stanton improvements have outpaced state
“State Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell started an impromptu French lesson with a few fifth-graders in George Serra's classroom at John B. Stanton Elementary during her visit to the school Wednesday afternoon…”
August 29, 2016
HARTFORD COURANT: CONNECTICUT FAMILIES FILE SUIT TO EXPAND SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS
“A decision is expected on Sept. 7 in the almost 11-year-old landmark education funding case filed by the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding…”
August 26, 2016
AMI: Connecticut Families File Suit to Expand School Choice Options
“A group of Connecticut parents has filed a federal lawsuit against the state claiming “inexcusable educational inequity and inadequacy” in school choice options…”
August 25, 2016
CT POST: Complaint says Tech schools discriminate against disabled students
“The state’s Technical High School system is accused in a federal complaint filed this week of consistently discriminating against students with disabilities by denying them admission…”
August 24, 2016
Hit & Run: Connecticut Makes It Hard For Poor Students To Escape Standard Public Schools; Sued Over Practice
“The day after their California state lawsuit attempting to overturn various student-damaging rules regarding the firing of teachers, Vergara v. California, was declined by the California Supreme Court, the group Students Matter filed a federal lawsuit against aspects of the state of Connecticut's education practices…”
August 22, 2016
WNPR: CONNECTICUT EDUCATION COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR EARLY INTERVENTION TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL
“The state's education commissioner delivered her annual back-to-school address to district superintendents on Monday, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement such as chronic absenteeism…”
August 21, 2016
NBC Connecticut: Connecticut School Threats Declining, But Still A Nuisance
“Data from the Connecticut Department of Education shows the number of threats on schools in Connecticut has been declining in recent years…”
August 20, 2016
HARTFORD COURANT: Questions Raised About State Education Officials' Roles In Their Children's Hiring
“It's generally against state ethics laws for a Connecticut official to use his authority to hire a son or daughter onto the government payroll. But that didn't prevent the children of two high-ranking information-technology officials in the state Department of Education from getting decent-paying temporary positions as computer support personnel in the past year…”
August 11, 2016
GREENWICH PATCH: Newsweek’s Top Public High Schools 2016: How Connecticut Schools Ranked
"Newsweek’s annual list of the top public high schools in America for 2016 that was released on Thursday reveals some good news for Connecticut..."
August 10, 2016
CT MIRROR: Judge presses state on approach to school funding as trial wraps
“The five-month trial examining whether the lowest-performing schools in Connecticut are providing students with the education the state constitution requires came to a close Wednesday with final arguments from the attorney defending the state and sharp questioning from the judge…”
August 8, 2016
CT MIRROR: CT school funding on trial: 5 key questions facing the judge
“The five-month trial that will determine whether the state is providing students in high-poverty districts with a suitable education is coming to a close this week…”
HARTFORD COURANT: Closing Arguments Begin In Connecticut School Funding Trial
“A potentially pivotal lawsuit challenging the state's school financing system inched closer to a finale Monday as closing arguments got underway in Superior Court in Hartford…”
August 4, 2016
CT MIRROR: Charter school advocates playing in General Assembly primaries
“Two national and regional charter school groups have created political action committees in Connecticut in time to make independent expenditures to influence a handful of the 10 Democratic primaries to be held next week for seats in the General Assembly…”
August 3, 2016
CT Mirror: SAT shows large numbers of juniors unready for college or jobs
“One-third of high school juniors are not reading and writing well enough to begin taking college courses or start a career, statewide SAT results released Tuesday show…”
HARTFORD COURANT: Results Of Newly Redesigned SAT Still Show Achievement Gaps
“Nearly two-thirds of 11th graders are meeting state standards for English, but just 40 percent are meeting goals for math, according to test results on the redesigned SAT released Wednesday…”