Business leaders from across the state gathered in Hartford July 12 to launch a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sorely needed education reforms in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Council for Education Reform picks up on the work of the Connecticut Commission on Education Achievement, which delivered a wide-ranging series of reform recommendations last year. The commission was established by Gov. M. Jodi Rell in March 2010 as a volunteer task force of business, education and community leaders.
The new council”™s timing was impeccable. Shortly after the group”™s press conference, the state Department of Education released a report showing that less than half of Connecticut”™s high school students meet math, science, reading and writing goals.
“This is not acceptable for students. This is not acceptable for parents or for the state”™s business and economic well-being,” council Chairman Payton R. Patterson told CT News Junkie. “It is safe to say the achievement gap affects all of us.”
Connecticut has the largest educational achievement gap in the nation, with students from low-income families scoring well below more affluent students on standardized tests.
Patterson noted the significant economic impact of educational failure, with high school dropouts having an unemployment rate more than double that of graduates.
The council will campaign for implementation of the commission”™s sweeping recommendations, which included:
”¢Â full-day kindergarten,
”¢Â universal preschool,
”¢Â more remediation for 40,000 students,
”¢Â longer school days and an extended school year,
”¢Â more subsidies for preschool for low-income students and
”¢Â programs to attract highly qualified teachers in defined shortage areas.
CBIA president and CEO John Rathgeber, a member of the commission and the newly launched council, said the state must treat reform as a priority, even in these tough economic times.
“The council looks forward to working with Gov. Malloy, his administration and legislators on an educational reform package that raises the overall academic performance of all students and helps close the achievement gap,” he said. “Connecticut must adopt real reforms that will help our students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to become productive, positive contributors to society and leaders of our future economy.”
Louis Bach is a lobbyist at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association in Hartford. Reach him at louis.bach@cbia.com.
Council directors and staff
Peyton Patterson, chairman
Chairman, president and CEO, NewAlliance Bank
Steven J. Simmons
Chairman and CEO, Simmons/Patriot Media and Communications
Ramani Ayer
Retired chairman and CEO, The Hartford
Roxanne Coady
President and founder, R.J. Julia Booksellers
William W. Ginsberg
President and CEO, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
John R. Rathgeber
President and CEO, CBIA
Dudley N. Williams Jr.
Director of district education strategy, GE Asset Management Group
Staff
Shana Kennedy-Salchow and Pei Pei Ma, former commission co-directors
