A report out today from Dalio Education found that one in five young people in Connecticut are disconnected from education and employment systems or are at risk for becoming disconnected.
The report looked at 14- to 26-year-olds during 2021-22 and found that disconnection among youth can lead to financial insecurity, homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration.
CEA President Kate Dias issued the following statement on the report.
The issue of disconnected youth is not new to Connecticut educators, who for years have been sounding the alarm about the additional resources needed to help them support, engage, and improve outcomes for these students. This report brings the issue to the forefront and highlights the critical importance of our community schools, which take a multi-faceted approach to dealing with the wide and diverse needs of our disconnected young people.
It’s time to rethink student benchmarks and to stop the overreliance on standardized test scores. We need systemic change so that success includes all possible life paths for students, not just college.
We are hopeful that bringing attention to the issue and the need to involve education, business, and community-based organizations, all working together, will allow educators the additional support and effective programs they need to help their students reconnect with education and the workforce so that they have successful, productive lives.
