Educators have long been aware of the effects of poverty, chronic stress, and malnutrition on their students, but until recently there wasn’t a scientific explanation for how early circumstances shape a child’s development. The new field of epigenetics is changing that. Genes are commonly thought of as a fixed, inherited code that spells out who…
DetailsSchools in East Hartford, Meriden, and New London will have a longer school day and/or year, thanks to a new national initiative. You can read more about the initiative from the Hartford Courant here. “CEA leaders have met with the National Center on Time and Learning about the new program,” said CEA President Sheila Cohen.…
DetailsWant to improve your school’s climate? Stop focusing so narrowly on “bullying.” That was the advice Stan Davis, anti-bullying expert and retired school counselor and family therapist, had for teachers at a CEA Human and Civil Rights (HCR) Commission workshop earlier this month. Bullying has received increased national intention over the last decade. Forty-nine states…
DetailsIf you’ve been hoping to learn just what the state task force on school funding will forward to the full General Assembly, you’ll have to wait a little longer. While the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Task Force was expected to wrap up its work this week, at yesterday’s meeting a significant number of task force…
DetailsThis weekend over 100 teachers around Connecticut will be talking about an inspiring ceremony that honored them for their commitment to their students and school communities. At last night’s ceremony at the Bushnell, some of the state’s Teachers of the Year shared why they think it’s important to recognize great teaching. John Mason, Avon Teacher…
DetailsThe committee charged with developing recommendations to change how the state distributes education funding met yesterday to consider a new formula it may recommend in its final report. The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Task Force is looking to wrap up its work by the end of the month and send its recommendations on to Governor…
DetailsTeachers are education professionals. They’re also caring individuals whose concern for their students and communities seems like a 24/7 job. Add to that mindset a disaster like Hurricane Sandy, and teachers’ concern is at one of the highest levels ever. Take Bridgeport teacher Samantha Rosenberg who says, “It’s in our nature to think of the…
DetailsThe new federal school lunch standards rolled out this September have drawn protests and boycotts from high-schoolers, and there are reports that children of all ages are dumping their veggies. The new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are admirably aimed at improving health and combating childhood obesity, but is this the right…
Details“I live the achievement gap. It’s my reality, every day.” That’s what Kristen Record, Connecticut’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, told a crowd of 100 people at the Hartford Public Library today, where she was one of the keynote speakers at the CT Mirror Forum “Perspectives on Connecticut’s Achievement Gap.” Record, who teaches physics at…
DetailsGovernor Dannel P. Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman witnessed positive changes happening at Stanton Elementary School in Norwich today—changes that are part of Stanton’s Turnaround Plan in the new Commissioner’s Network—a group of the state’s lowest performing schools receiving new resources and tools to help improve student achievement. Malloy and Wyman were joined by…
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