Commonsense, fiscally responsible, results-oriented education reforms
Acknowledging Connecticut’s fiscal challenges, ConnCAN is advocating for three fiscally responsible, commonsense, results-oriented policy changes in the 2009 legislative session. Each element is part of a larger, virtuous cycle of change that will ultimately offer every child in Connecticut the chance to attend a great school.
Data & Transparency
An innovative, no-cost approach to using state education data well.
- The State Department of Education should release data to nonprofit partners and universities (shielded to protect individual student privacy), and these partners can then use their own resources to make the information accessible to the public.
- SDE’s Strategic School Profiles, currently available online, should include aggregated individual level student achievement gains.
Alternate Routes to Certification
Removing roadblocks to teacher quality
- At no cost to the state, allow Teach for America to establish a one-year resident teacher certificate.
- Extend the alternative certification deadline from the first day of teaching to one year with a resident certificate.
- Teachers who commit to working in high-need districts earn certification over the course of a year-long residency.
- At no additional cost to the state, Connecticut should allow prospective teachers who score high on the Praxis II exam to bypass college credit requirements in high-need subject areas (e.g. science, math, world languages).
Connecticut Public Charter Schools
Growing great public schools to catalyze broad transformation
- Close the gap in per-pupil funding between charter and traditional schools. This will mean in the short term that per-pupil charter funding should increase at a faster rate than traditional school funding until they are equal.
- Increase the charter line item in the state budget to account for natural grade growth in new charter schools.
