MARCH 2016 ARTICLES
March 31, 2016
CT Post: Education commissioner takes stand in school-funding case
“Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzel knows what it’s like to teach struggling students and work with shoestring budgets…”
CT MIRROR: Session notes | Leader of CT higher education agency retiring
“Jane Ciarleglio, the longtime leader of the state agency that oversees state financial aid and for-profit colleges, is retiring Friday…”
The 74: Connecticut School Funding on Trial | After A Decade, Equity Gets Its Day in Court
“In courtroom 312 of the Hartford Superior Court, a handful of observers look on as lawyers argue in an often unintelligible mash-up of eduspeak and legalese…”
March 30, 2016
CT MIRROR: Michelle Rhee group merges with education advocates with CT roots
“The national 50CAN education reform group – whose founding was inspired by the Connecticut-based advocacy group ConnCAN – is merging with StudentsFirst, a national group that was started by the controversial past chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools, Michelle Rhee…”
Hartford Courant: Budget Crisis Has Hartford Talking About School Closings, Consolidation
“The city's budget crisis is forcing Hartford school officials to talk openly about an issue that is usually a political land mine: The possibility of closing and consolidating schools…”
March 28, 2016
CT Post: Connecticut school districts named best for music education
“Thirteen school districts in the state have been named among the best in the nation for music education according to the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation…”
March 25, 2016
Hartford Courant: Top CT Teacher Jahana Hayes' Secret: Connecting With Kids
“Through the fog of arguments about how best to educate our children, Jahana Hayes shines like a beacon. She is energetic, talented and passionate about her job, and has great expectations for her students…”
March 24, 2016
WTNH Channel 8 News: “Next Ed” education report: CT must “personalize” education
“A report is coming out looking at the progress made in how the state of Connecticut educates its children. A transition called “Next Ed” has been going in state schools for the past couple of years…”
CT POST: Bridgeport forum stresses need for more education funding
“ Eliona Flores wants to fight for a 2016-17 city school budget that is $21 million more than the current one…”
March 23, 2016
CT Mirror: Session notes | School security standards updated
“School security safety standards created after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School have been updated by state officials to ensure that experts provide feedback on fire and safety drills each year and that plans are in place for recovery from an emergency…”
March 21, 2016
New Haven Register: Forum | Connecticut falls short in how it funds special education
“Every day, more than 68,700 of the students who pass through the doors of Connecticut’s public schools require special education services, making up 13 percent of the state’s total public school enrollment…”
March 18, 2016
HARTFORD COURANT: Connecticut's Contender For National Teaching Title Knows Kids' Struggles
“When Jahana Hayes was 17 and a mother, the prospect of graduating from high school seemed to be slipping away. She could not have imagined that 26 years later she would be a finalist for America's teacher of the year…”
March 17, 2016
CT MIRROR: School bus seat belt funding goes unused except to reduce deficits
“It's been six years since a teen died in a school bus crash in Hartford and legislators responded by overwhelmingly approving a new tax incentive to encourage purchasing school buses with seat belts…”
CT News Junkie: OP-ED | Science Says Students Need More Sleep, But School-based Solution Remains Elusive
“The debate regarding school start times has returned…”
March 9, 2016
Hartford Courant: Panel Votes To Delay Linking Teacher Evaluations To Student Test Scores
“Student test scores will not be required to be factored in teacher evaluations next school year as planned, members of the state panel that oversees the teacher rating system voted Wednesday…”
March 8, 2016
CT NEW JUNKIE/CT BY THE NUMBERS: Personal Financial Literacy Education Lacking in CT Schools
“Only five states require a stand-along course in Personal Finance for high school graduation. Connecticut is not one of them…”
March 7, 2016
CT NEW JUNKIE: Lawmakers Debate Use Of Test Scores In Teacher Evaluations
“Connecticut teachers urged lawmakers Monday to erase standardized test scores from teacher evaluations…”
March 3, 2016
HARTFORD COURANT: Seat Belts On School Buses Debate Renewed In Connecticut
“Buoyed by federal regulators' sudden about-face on the issue nationally, proponents are renewing their drive to require seat belts on Connecticut's school buses…”
CT MIRROR: STATE RELEASES GRADES FOR EVERY SCHOOL
“Grading schools on more than just tests scores has been a long time in the works…”
NEWS TIMES: U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty: A Healthy School Environment Starts With ‘Hello’
“As a mom, there’s nothing more important to me than knowing my kids are healthy and happy. All parents quickly learn, however, that our children can’t (and shouldn’t) be happy all the time…”