Department of Education

Mark E. Ojakian, the influential behind-the-scenes operative at the State Capitol who became the high-profile president of the troubled Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system in 2015, persisting in a job that defeated two academics, is retiring at year’s end.

Whether students return to the classroom or learn online, how should parents and schools weigh concerns around health and equity?

When we talk about going back to school, we usually focus on what will happen when K-12 students return to the classroom. But what about the students coming from across the nation to return to campus? 

Two months after abandoning its private-public education partnership with the state, hedge fund giant Ray Dalio’s philanthropic group Dalio Education announced Monday that it would work with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities to give another shot at ensuring students across the state have access to computers and internet connectivity.

Connecticut’s Department of Education says that state COVID-19 data will guide the decision-making process regarding how K-12 students should learn in the fall, but Thursday's numbers inched in the wrong direction:  The state reported 101 new positive COVID-19 test results and an uptick in the number of hospitalizations by two.

College campuses across the country are preparing to reopen in the fall. But with the potential for a second wave of coronavirus infections, students and staff are being asked to be flexible. This hour, we’re speaking with students, faculty and leaders throughout the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system on what it will take to reopen campus in the fall. 

New Haven will pay its school bus contractor $1.5 million less than normal for time the buses were idle during the pandemic — but more than they should, according to some Board of Education members.

The state released requirements and guidance Monday for local districts to open schools this fall as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state fell under 100 for the first time in months. 

Connecticut schools will reopen for a five-day school week in the fall – as long as the coronavirus behaves, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.

The school year may have just ended, but plans are taking shape for the return of students inside schools this fall. Gov. Ned Lamont announced the plans Thursday, noting that several COVID-19 trends are holding steady in Connecticut while the virus continues to spread in other parts of the country.

The federal government has sided with a group of Connecticut athletes who have sued the state’s governing body of high school sports over the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls events.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday officially canceled in-person schooling for Connecticut students for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year.

Gov. Ned Lamont will order K-12 schools throughout Connecticut to stay closed for the remainder of the academic year because of the health threat posed by COVID-19.

While the latest statistics from around Connecticut offer “slight glimmers of hope” that the coronavirus pandemic may be easing, Gov. Ned Lamont warned Thursday that schools and most small businesses must remain closed for at least another month to prevent any resurgence of the deadly virus.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Connecticut jumped by more than 200 cases overnight, while officials Tuesday confirmed a new hotspot at a Ridgefield senior living center and announced the virus has infiltrated the state’s main psychiatric hospital.

Connecticut’s Department of Education said it’s ready to help school districts take in Puerto Rican students evacuated from the island because of recent earthquakes.

More than 4 million people, around 1 out of 5 undergrads, are raising children today. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Education. These student parents tend to have higher GPAs than traditional students. They’re often older, single, and women of color. But more than half of them leave school without getting a degree. 

The stereotypes around homeschooling have existed for decades. Since the modern homeschooling movement began in the late 20th century, those who favored this educational approach have largely been perceived as white, anti-establishment, radically Christian, and ultra-conservative.

The state announced Friday nearly $26 million in federal funds will go toward higher education readiness programs for low-income students. That money will be dispersed over the next seven years to support tutoring, mentoring, and college scholarships.

At 27, he was a Connecticut school principal. At 44, he is the state’s commissioner of education.

This hour, Dr. Miguel Cardona joins us to talk about his vision for Connecticut's education future. 

The State Board of Education voted six to one Thursday to endorse Gov. Ned Lamont’s selection of Miguel Cardona, Meriden’s assistant superintendent, as the state’s next education commission. 

In a dramatic reversal, Miguel Cardona, an assistant superintendent in Meriden, is expected to be chosen as Connecticut’s next state education commissioner, rather than Bloomfield Superintendent James Thompson, sources close to the search committee said Tuesday. 

The state of Connecticut has set aside $1.5 million to meet the needs of Puerto Rican evacuees and the Connecticut municipalities that took them in for the current fiscal year.

Educators, administrators, parents and students have called on Connecticut legislators to finalize a budget. They met to highlight their concerns after the education commissioner’s annual back-to-school meeting in Meriden Tuesday.

East Hartford officials want Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to visit the town’s school system, after she made controversial comments last week criticizing its standards. DeVos accused East Hartford High School of being what she termed a “dangerous daycare,” citing one of its former students.