Candidates for governor: Support elimination of the Board of Regents
It is now apparent to anyone paying attention that the Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) is a bloated failure that has not addressed, let alone solved, the very real challenges facing...
View ArticleThe one thing all candidates can agree on
There is not much consensus among our gubernatorial candidates this election cycle, but one topic that appears to have generated genuine agreement is that Connecticut needs to do more to ensure our...
View ArticleParents: Vaccinate your sons and daughters against cancer!
Most of the vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and required to enter public school in Connecticut are administered in early childhood and completed by age 4, and then begin...
View ArticleEliminate the Board of Regents? Nonsense before every election
As sure as “death and taxes,” the question of whether the Board of Regents for Higher Education should exist reemerges every time there is a statewide election. The arguments to dissolve the BOR...
View ArticleRaise the age limit to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is right to be concerned about the increased number of high school students vaping. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in...
View ArticleWill our new governor and General Assembly turn a deaf ear to our at-risk...
Election Day on November 6 is more than a battle of political parties for gubernatorial and legislative control. It’s an opportunity for new leaders to finally put Connecticut on the path to education...
View ArticleParents, your kids are failing math, reading, and writing!
Parents, you need to wake up and get in the game. Your child’s future is at stake. Or, your child will become one of the negative statistics. In some cases it is appropriate to blame the education...
View ArticleOn the soft bigotry of low expectations in schools
If you were moving into a new area and talking to your child’s new principal who said, “I’m proud to tell you that only 65 percent of our children fail to meet district standards in reading and...
View ArticleBabies don’t vote—we need to vote for them
Election Day is coming up, and adults across Connecticut will be casting their ballots based on the issues that matter most to them. Babies, however, don’t get a say in what comes next. So it’s up to...
View ArticleThe new governor should make evidence-based decisions on improving our schools
A recent NY Times article calls attention to a $773 million failed experiment within New York City Public Schools -- an effort intended to address the city’s 94 lowest-performing schools. New York...
View ArticlePrioritize children and families; defend the Office of Early Childhood
Faced with a projected two-year budget deficit of over $4.6 billion, you and your administration will soon be confronted with many difficult choices. Amidst these challenging decisions, and with an eye...
View ArticleA fresh start: Rethinking the future of Connecticut’s community colleges
Now that the election is over and we have new leadership in the state, this is an ideal time to think in fresh ways about community colleges in Connecticut. As we know, the Board of Regents is...
View ArticleUrban schools face unique challenges
The Connecticut Association of Urban Superintendents is a coalition of public school superintendents from the state’s neediest districts. While we represent only 20 communities, we educate nearly half...
View ArticleRemediation rates tell us a different story of education opportunity
Americans like to tout the importance of a high school diploma, but research reported in The Mirror recently shows that record-high graduation rates do not tell the full story of academic opportunity...
View ArticleThe ‘One College’ idea takes away who and what community colleges are
Congratulations Gov.-elect Lamont, I am confident you will usher in some much-needed changes to our state. God knows, things cannot get a whole lot worse. I am sure that, given the breakneck speed with...
View ArticleCSCU likely to seek boost in state aid, explores tuition policy options
Connecticut’s public college and university system may need to seek additional state funding next year to maintain the programs it currently offers students, administrators warned Wednesday. At the...
View ArticleAdjudicated juveniles will stay in pre-trial detention centers for...
Despite plans to provide them with alternative and more suitable housing, juvenile offenders who require secure facilities will continue to reside in the two state pre-trial detention centers for the...
View ArticleConnecticut teachers joining the march to political office
WASHINGTON – This is not only the “Year of the Woman” in politics, it is also the “Year of the Teacher’ with more educators running for public office across the nation and in Connecticut, union...
View ArticleDo magnet schools need white students to be great?
In the Hartford region, a difference in philosophies about whether segregation contributes to poor educational outcomes divides parents, educators and lawmakers. Most magnet schools have no problem...
View ArticleFate of state’s school integration efforts rests with federal judge
BRIDGEPORT -- A federal judge will soon determine whether his court should get involved in how the state awards enrollment to students in high-performing magnet schools located throughout Connecticut....
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