Connecticut
U.S.
Rank
Score:
65%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#35
A weak law, the Yankee State limits charter school funding and creates a difficult regulatory environment for charters which also have only one route for approval. Their existence depends on who is in office and how much appetite there is to clash with the education establishment.
Law passed: 1996
Most recently amended: 2012
Number of charter schools: 25
Number of charter students: 10,807
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: The state board and local districts can both authorize, but schools authorized by local districts must be approved by both the local district and the state board. The state board ultimately authorizes all charter in the state and there is no other entity for approval or appeals.
GROWTH: Growth in the state has decreased. It is inhibited by the cap on the number of schools allowed, funding and the lack of a blanket waiver. The cap is the lesser of 250 students or 25% of district enrollment for district authorized schools; the lesser of 300 students or 25% of district enrollment for state board authorized schools.In 2019-2020, the number of schools decreased by 2 but there was a slight enrollment increase among existing schools of 398 students.
OPERATIONS: Schools can apply to the state for waivers from regulations, but are not automatically exempt from any rules and regulations.
EQUITY: Charters have no access to the local tax base. State charter schools are funded by an annual state per pupil appropriation that modestly increases year after year, but is not equitable compared to traditional public schools, which got $20,635 in 2018 compared to $11,000 for charter schools.
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#47
There are no choice programs in this state.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#15
Working towards making connections between teacher prep programs and student outcomes, the state does score well on ensuring teachers have requisite content knowledge.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 75%
General Teacher Preparation 68%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 90%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 88%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 68%
Alternate Routes 60%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 77%
Hiring 80%
Retaining Effective Teachers 73%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 84%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
65%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#35
A weak law, the Yankee State limits charter school funding and creates a difficult regulatory environment for charters which also have only one route for approval. Their existence depends on who is in office and how much appetite there is to clash with the education establishment.
Law passed: 1996
Most recently amended: 2012
Number of charter schools: 25
Number of charter students: 10,807
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: The state board and local districts can both authorize, but schools authorized by local districts must be approved by both the local district and the state board. The state board ultimately authorizes all charter in the state and there is no other entity for approval or appeals.
GROWTH: Growth in the state has decreased. It is inhibited by the cap on the number of schools allowed, funding and the lack of a blanket waiver. The cap is the lesser of 250 students or 25% of district enrollment for district authorized schools; the lesser of 300 students or 25% of district enrollment for state board authorized schools.In 2019-2020, the number of schools decreased by 2 but there was a slight enrollment increase among existing schools of 398 students.
OPERATIONS: Schools can apply to the state for waivers from regulations, but are not automatically exempt from any rules and regulations.
EQUITY: Charters have no access to the local tax base. State charter schools are funded by an annual state per pupil appropriation that modestly increases year after year, but is not equitable compared to traditional public schools, which got $20,635 in 2018 compared to $11,000 for charter schools.
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#47
There are no choice programs in this state.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#15
Working towards making connections between teacher prep programs and student outcomes, the state does score well on ensuring teachers have requisite content knowledge.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 75%
General Teacher Preparation 68%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 90%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 88%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 68%
Alternate Routes 60%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 77%
Hiring 80%
Retaining Effective Teachers 73%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 84%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#27
The School Technology Report-Spring 2020 demonstrates the remote learning landscape across districts in Connecticut prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report reflects statewide responses from 105 districts from every socioeconomic status, serving approx. 355,782 students. The report showed that before the pandemic, only approximately 4-35 percent of district students had broadband internet access at home, exposing digital gaps for students especially in low income populations. Additionally, one-third of districts did not have a 1:1 student to device-ratio: “while approximately a third of responding districts indicated that they do not have a 1:1 computer program, during school closures starting in March, many have sent home computers normally stored in carts.”
Connecticut has Digital Learning Standards for Student, Educator, and Educator Leaders. This shows their commitment not only in ensuring that students are prepared for college and career in the 21st century, but also that teachers and administrators are prepared to effectively teach using technology in the classroom. However the extent to which schools actually practice digital learning is still relatively small.
Connecticut’s Meriden Public School District is a member of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving digital learning opportunities to approximately 8,000 students across the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Connecticut can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
Connecticut has a few policies that expand personalized learning for students. Legislation created the Innovation School Program, giving school districts flexibility in policies, budget, calendar schedule, and curriculum to allow for personalized learning.
In addition, the state has a policy in place that allows school districts to award high school graduation credit “through a demonstration of mastery based on competency and performance standards, in accordance with guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education.” The Connecticut DOE provides numerous resources for school districts to execute mastery based learning in their schools.
Connecticut’s Meriden School District is a great example of personalized learning happening on a district level. Meriden has implemented learner profiles, where students develop profiles based on their interests, and participate in projects that reflect their profiles and prepare them for their future.
On March 12th, there was a statewide school superintendent call with Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education, which allowed for districts to help shape the state’s response to COVID with regard to education. On March 16, Gov. Lamont first ordered all schools to close, which led to a transition from “supplemental learning” to “distance learning,” which is more long-term.. The state worked to ensure all students had internet access to be able to learn remotely. The guidance for remote learning, however, did not provide adequate encouragement or direction to continue educating all students. Several guidance documents were issued at regular intervals, with resources for teachers and parents for all grade levels, but few high expectations were set for district leaders.
Connecticut provided four different volumes of resources for remote learning, providing new materials as the pandemic evolved and new challenges arose in the spring. Additionally, Connecticut sponsored a Professional Support Series for teachers and families in order to help provide guidance to allow for successful remote learning. Learn more.
The state required districts to submit three reopening plans for review: One hybrid, one virtual, and one completely in person. Most districts began reopening on time with a hybrid model in place.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#27
The School Technology Report-Spring 2020 demonstrates the remote learning landscape across districts in Connecticut prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report reflects statewide responses from 105 districts from every socioeconomic status, serving approx. 355,782 students. The report showed that before the pandemic, only approximately 4-35 percent of district students had broadband internet access at home, exposing digital gaps for students especially in low income populations. Additionally, one-third of districts did not have a 1:1 student to device-ratio: “while approximately a third of responding districts indicated that they do not have a 1:1 computer program, during school closures starting in March, many have sent home computers normally stored in carts.”
Connecticut has Digital Learning Standards for Student, Educator, and Educator Leaders. This shows their commitment not only in ensuring that students are prepared for college and career in the 21st century, but also that teachers and administrators are prepared to effectively teach using technology in the classroom. However the extent to which schools actually practice digital learning is still relatively small.
Connecticut’s Meriden Public School District is a member of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving digital learning opportunities to approximately 8,000 students across the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Connecticut can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
Connecticut has a few policies that expand personalized learning for students. Legislation created the Innovation School Program, giving school districts flexibility in policies, budget, calendar schedule, and curriculum to allow for personalized learning.
In addition, the state has a policy in place that allows school districts to award high school graduation credit “through a demonstration of mastery based on competency and performance standards, in accordance with guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education.” The Connecticut DOE provides numerous resources for school districts to execute mastery based learning in their schools.
Connecticut’s Meriden School District is a great example of personalized learning happening on a district level. Meriden has implemented learner profiles, where students develop profiles based on their interests, and participate in projects that reflect their profiles and prepare them for their future.
On March 12th, there was a statewide school superintendent call with Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education, which allowed for districts to help shape the state’s response to COVID with regard to education. On March 16, Gov. Lamont first ordered all schools to close, which led to a transition from “supplemental learning” to “distance learning,” which is more long-term.. The state worked to ensure all students had internet access to be able to learn remotely. The guidance for remote learning, however, did not provide adequate encouragement or direction to continue educating all students. Several guidance documents were issued at regular intervals, with resources for teachers and parents for all grade levels, but few high expectations were set for district leaders.
Connecticut provided four different volumes of resources for remote learning, providing new materials as the pandemic evolved and new challenges arose in the spring. Additionally, Connecticut sponsored a Professional Support Series for teachers and families in order to help provide guidance to allow for successful remote learning. Learn more.
The state required districts to submit three reopening plans for review: One hybrid, one virtual, and one completely in person. Most districts began reopening on time with a hybrid model in place.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Ned Lamont (D)
First term began in 2019 (no term limit)
Governor Ned Lamont, Democrat, is not a friend to education reform. Once upon a time he tied his experience in the private sector to common sense policies like linking teacher evaluations to test scores or abolishing life long tenure contracts, but he catered to Big Union interests to get elected. His 2020 budget proposal cuts $4.6 million from charter schools. Charter schools that serve minority and low-income students are especially penalized because funding prioritizes their district school counterparts.
Both the House and Senate are Democrat controlled. Education Savings Account bills have been introduced the past couple of years, but stalled in committee. Leadership roles in the legislature are held by anti-reform lawmakers due in part to the teachers union’s influence in state politics. In a state with no meaningful choices and many districts whose students really need them, advocates should demand more from elected officials here.
The Connecticut Constitution contains no Blaine Amendment. Both tax credit and voucher programs are school choice options for Connecticut. They are consistent with the Connecticut Constitution and relevant Connecticut state court decisions. However there is an article that expressly prohibits “school funds” from being expended for non-public uses.
Connecticut report cards are easily accessible on Connecticut’s DOE website by clicking the EdSight tab. School report cards are in a PDF format, making it easy for parents to print. Reports include student enrollment, disciplinary data, school schedule, performance and accountability data. It also includes data on educators by race, but not educator credentials or teacher quality. Educational options are accessible with school choice highlighted directly on the main page.
Connecticut does not hold school board elections during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.
Ned Lamont (D)
First term began in 2019 (no term limit)
Governor Ned Lamont, Democrat, is not a friend to education reform. Once upon a time he tied his experience in the private sector to common sense policies like linking teacher evaluations to test scores or abolishing life long tenure contracts, but he catered to Big Union interests to get elected. His 2020 budget proposal cuts $4.6 million from charter schools. Charter schools that serve minority and low-income students are especially penalized because funding prioritizes their district school counterparts.
Both the House and Senate are Democrat controlled. Education Savings Account bills have been introduced the past couple of years, but stalled in committee. Leadership roles in the legislature are held by anti-reform lawmakers due in part to the teachers union’s influence in state politics. In a state with no meaningful choices and many districts whose students really need them, advocates should demand more from elected officials here.
The Connecticut Constitution contains no Blaine Amendment. Both tax credit and voucher programs are school choice options for Connecticut. They are consistent with the Connecticut Constitution and relevant Connecticut state court decisions. However there is an article that expressly prohibits “school funds” from being expended for non-public uses.
Connecticut report cards are easily accessible on Connecticut’s DOE website by clicking the EdSight tab. School report cards are in a PDF format, making it easy for parents to print. Reports include student enrollment, disciplinary data, school schedule, performance and accountability data. It also includes data on educators by race, but not educator credentials or teacher quality. Educational options are accessible with school choice highlighted directly on the main page.
Connecticut does not hold school board elections during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.