What about the achievement gap?

Governor Dannel Malloy and Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor (right) touring an elementary school in Meriden

In the world of education, we see the state’s economic disparity show up in what we call the “achievement gap.” Year after year, the state’s standardized tests show a shocking difference between the academic performance in our wealthier areas and the scores in the poorer areas.

Governor Dannel Malloy has introduced a range of reforms to the state’s education system, and many of them are aimed at doing something about the achievement gap. You can read some of his announcements here, and hear a recap from him and his Education Commissioner, Stefan Pryor, from our Fairfield County Focus episode here:
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We talked about the Governor’s proposals with Rae Ann Knopf of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform. The Council evolved out of the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement, which was appointed by the state’s last governor, Republican Jodi Rell.  They issued a report with a number of recommendations, which you can read here. You can hear Knopf talk about the extent of the achievement gap and the commission’s recommendations here:
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Knopf is a fan of the Governor’s reform proposals.  She explains why in the second part of our interview:

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Probably the most contentious of Malloy’s education proposals is about teacher tenure.  Here’s Ebong Udoma’s report on Malloy’s Feb. 21 testimony on the topic before the General Assembly’s Education Committee:
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Here at State of Disparity, we’re going to keep coming back to look at the reform proposals and what they could actually mean for Connecticut’s achievement gap. Stay tuned!