Studying for and taking the SATs are a rite of passage for college-bound high school students, but a new study is casting doubt on the usefulness of this high-stakes exam. At colleges and universities that have made the submission of SAT scores optional, students who did not submit scores had a cumulative GPA only 0.05…
DetailsThe Connecticut Education Association has endorsed State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield in the special election for the open State Senate District 10 seat. CEA President Sheila Cohen said, “Gary has long been an advocate for public education and labor unions. He has shown a willingness to work with educators and put the needs of students and…
DetailsNew flexibility options for districts implementing the teacher evaluation system have been approved by the State Board of Education, and the State Department of Education (SDE) has now issued guidance to superintendents for implementing the new flexibility. The SDE sent details on the new flexibility options to superintendents Monday.
Glamor, pageantry, and the red carpet are a world away from a typical classroom teacher’s job, but Wallingford educator Chris Stone was one of the lucky teachers who got to experience a moment in the spotlight recently. Stone was recognized on the national stage Friday night as one of only five recipients of the Horace…
DetailsAt its meeting today, the State Board of Education approved new flexibility in the implementation of the state’s educator evaluation and support system as recommended by the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC). In a consensus vote, PEAC last week approved the new flexibility options in response to comments and concerns from educators around the state.…
Details“Good teaching is not measured by a student test score. That is the road we are going down and it should be abandoned.” That was one of the many emphatic comments CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg made this morning while appearing on WNPR’s “Where We Live” radio program. Waxenberg called for a “course correct” when…
DetailsConnecticut teachers go above and beyond every day for their students, despite ever-changing demands that threaten to weigh them down. This is the core message of a new public awareness TV commercial sponsored by CEA. (Watch the ad here.) The commercial focuses on the word “rise,” delivered every morning as students prepare to recite the…
DetailsIn this still uncertain economic climate, Connecticut teachers can breathe more easily knowing their pension fund generated robust returns in 2013. State Treasurer Denise Nappier yesterday announced that the Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRF) generated investment returns, net of expenses, of 14.23 percent. This successful performance brings the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF), of which…
DetailsThe state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) has been consumed in recent years by reports from consultants, disagreements about what’s best for students and teachers, and plenty of eduspeak—all in pursuit of a new teacher evaluation system. But it only took commonsense comments from thousands of teachers for PEAC to reach consensus about new flexibility…
DetailsWhile this is a significant improvement for Connecticut students in public schools, it is only a first step in modifying existing guidelines and removing obstacles that hinder a student-focused system of public education. With today’s PEAC improvements, parents and communities can be confident that teachers will be able to enhance their impact on students—a focus…
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