Change in standardized tests may reveal weakness of current standards
by Zachary Janowski | Jul 15, 2013 | Education, Features, General
The Connecticut State Board of Education will decide Monday whether to apply for a waiver allowing local school districts to decide between two standardized tests to give next year, instead of forcing kids to slog through both. The testing overlap comes as Connecticut...
Connecticut teacher education programs don't make the grade
by Zachary Janowski | Jul 12, 2013 | Education, Features, General, State Budget
A national teacher-effectiveness organization rated all but one of Connecticut's university-level education programs poorly in its first review of more than 1,000 programs across the country. The one standout program, earning three stars from the National Council on...
Hartford moves ahead on $100 million renovation of half-empty school
by Suzanne Bates | Jul 10, 2013 | Education, Features, General, State Budget
State officials recently approved borrowing $80 million to renovate Weaver High School, with Hartford picking up the tab for another $20 million, even though three-quarters of its desks are empty. The current 370,000 square-foot school building, which sits on a 29...
CREC school transportation costs high
by Suzanne Bates | Jul 8, 2013 | Education, Features, General, State Budget
If you happen to be driving across Hartford around the time school lets out you may find yourself behind a full-size passenger van with a bright yellow sign that says "Carrying School Children" emblazoned on the back. Many of these vans are carrying children to and...
Cost of Connecticut high school diploma: $165,000
by Zachary Janowski | Jun 14, 2013 | Education, Features, General, Municipal
The average cost of educating a child from kindergarten through high school graduation in Connecticut is about $165,000, up nearly 10 percent from last year. According to Department of Education data, Hartford spent the most for each student who received a high school...
Is 'global awareness' to blame for Connecticut's low reading scores?
by Zachary Janowski | May 29, 2013 | Blog, Education
Two researchers at the Pioneer Institute in Boston think so. They explain how Connecticut fell behind in reading in their Wall Street Journal op-ed questioning the wisdom of the Common Core. This academic-lite approach has been tried before—and it failed. In 1998,...