Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined charter school advocates Thursday at the state Capitol to rally against $47.1 million in cuts proposed by the Democrat-controlled Appropriations Committee earlier this month.

—More photos.

Continue reading "Charter School Advocates Rally Against Education Cuts" »

Tags: charter school, education, funding, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Steve Perry, dh

When my son registered to vote two years ago this month, he wanted to register unaffiliated. “Both parties are just corporate shills,” he said.

I had a hard time disagreeing with that point of view, but I talked him out of it with the same words my father told me thirty years earlier, when I was a new voter: “You should always join a party in a closed primary state so you can vote in a primary.”

My son listened to me, as I listened to Dad. So he was shocked when I told him that I’d gone to Town Hall this week and changed my registration from Democrat to Unaffliated in the final stage of my journey to disgust and disillusionment with the two party system.

“Welcome to my world,” he said.

Continue reading "OP-ED | A Woman Without A Party" »

Tags: education reform, Bill Finch, Paul Vallas, Stefan Pryor, Dannel Malloy, Arne Duncan, Democrats, Charles Valentino, Bridgeport, Sarah Darer Littman, dh

Students from Connecticut’s four state universities and 12 community colleges made their way to the state Capitol Monday to rally in favor of increased funding for higher education.

Continue reading "Connecticut State University Students Rally for $140M" »

Tags: Connecticut State University, Beth Bye, Robert Jangro, Board of Regents, Megan Merrigan

Reporters, professors, and Lt. Paul Vance gathered at the University of Connecticut last week to discuss the role of accuracy, respect, and social media in the coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Continue reading "Panel: Social Media’s Role In Breaking News Is A Mixed Bag" »

Tags: Newtown, social media, Boston Marathon, UConn, Society of Professional Journalists, Megan Merrigan

The Senate gave final passage Thursday to legislation responding to last year’s Board of Regents compensation scandal by giving the governing board of the state’s public universities the ability to choose its own president.

Continue reading "College System Board Gets To Appoint Its Own President" »

Tags: Board of Regents, beth bye, higher education, mckinney, Hugh McQuaid, dh

The Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee approved a 10-year plan Tuesday to borrow more than $1.5 billion to expand the University of Connecticut.

Continue reading "Lawmakers Give UConn Financial Boost" »

Tags: uconn, Fonfara, witkos, lebeau, frantz, bonding, Malloy, hugh mcquaid, dh

Retired teachers brought apples to the Legislative Office Building on Tuesday to ask their former students, who are now state legislators, to continue funding their health benefits account.

Continue reading "Retired Teachers Make Pitch To Save Health Fund" »

Tags: Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut, Gail Lavielle, Dan Rovero, Sandra Bove and Cathy D'Agostino, appropriations, budget, dh

Dozens of charter school advocates rallied Thursday outside the state Capitol asking the legislature to restore funding for the state’s public charter schools that was included in last year’s education reform package.

Continue reading "Charter School Advocates Rally Against Cuts" »

Tags: charter schools, education, education reform, state budget, budget cuts, Hugh McQuaid, dh

One of the hallmark refrains of the corporate education reform movement is “accountability.” Strangely, their zeal for the concept does not extend to those who implement reforms. Let’s look at two key figures in Connecticut and see how accountable they have been to the state’s taxpayers.

First up, State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor. Shortly after being appointed to his post, Pryor started hiring consultants to work on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform package. Like most reformers, he had preferred consultants. State bidding procedures? Why bother when he could funnel contracts through the State Education Resource Center (SERC) by claiming it’s a nonprofit?

Continue reading "OP-ED | Who Is Holding Education Reformers Accountable?" »

Tags: education reform, Paul Vallas, Stefan Pryor, Andrew McDonald, Easy IEP, Bill Finch, Bridgeport, SERC, Accountable Government, sole source procurement, Sarah Darer Littman, Public Consulting Group, CCAG, Tom Swan, dh

The manufacturers of goods and services know that if consumers aren’t satisfied with the quality of what’s offered, they’ll vote with their wallets and choose another product. Such is rarely the case with a government product.

Continue reading "OP-ED | A Culture of Mediocrity" »

Tags: education reform, teacher evaluations, teacher training, Connecticut, terry cowgill, dh