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Students and Schools

  

This reporting initiative is made possible by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation — working to reshape public education to better prepare all students for the future.

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Schools' Accountability Score Flat, Student Growth Slows

By • Feb 11, 2018
Alberto G./flickr creative commons

Connecticut schools performed about the same as they did last year on the state's accountability system. 

Debate Continues Over Court's Role In Deciding Education Funding

By • Feb 8, 2018
Jim Finley - Principal consultant to the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding (CCJEF).
Chion Wolf / WNPR

A recent Connecticut Supreme Court decision found that the legislature, not the court, is responsible for decisions around funding the state's public schools. But that sparked a debate between an advocate and a lawmaker over where the responsibility actually lays.

Manufacturing Connecticut's Future Workforce

By & • Feb 1, 2018
Chion Wolf / WNPR

Catherine Smith is Commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development. This hour, she stops by for an update on the state's economy and manufacturing workforce.

Later, we also check in with Goodwin College President Mark Scheinberg. How is his school training the next generation of manufacturing employees? We find out and we also hear from you. 

As Time Passes, Tradition Changes Hands

By & • Jan 25, 2018
Chion Wolf / WNPR

Brian Dunnigan is a web designer and co-founder of the Hawthorn Watch Co. in Vernon, Connecticut.

Coming up, we discuss the inspiration behind his business and talk about Connecticut’s role in manufacturing the hands of time.

But first: mastering the skills of traditional craftsmen.

We hear how an exhibit at the Connecticut Historical Society celebrates the bond between artists and their apprentices.

'Devastating' School Closure Proposal Ignites Concerns In Hartford

By • Jan 12, 2018
Antonio Cruz, a city school bus driver, addresses the Hartford school board at a public hearing Tuesday night. Cruz is the father of Paola Cruz, 9, a student at Batchelder Elementary School, which would close under the district's consolidation plan.
Vanessa de la Torre / WNPR

Antonio Cruz is the father of a 9-year-old at Hartford’s Batchelder Elementary, one of the city neighborhood schools that the superintendent has proposed shutting down this summer.

America's Schools Are 'Profoundly Unequal,' Says U.S. Civil Rights Commission

By • Jan 11, 2018

"The federal government must take bold action to address inequitable funding in our nation's public schools."

So begins a list of recommendations released Thursday by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan agency created by Congress in 1957 to investigate civil rights complaints. Thursday's report comes after a lengthy investigation into how America's schools are funded and why so many that serve poor and minority students aren't getting the resources they say they need.

Baby, It's (Really, Really) Cold Outside

By & • Jan 8, 2018
Justin Brockie / Creative Commons

Across New England, freezing temps and blizzard conditions marked an unforgiving start to 2018.

This hour, we consider the factors underlying this extreme winter weather -- including the role of global climate change. 

State Moves Toward Better Learning Opportunities For Expelled Students

By • Jan 8, 2018
mygueart/iStock / Thinkstock

A few years ago, a group of lawyers sued the state, claiming that two students were denied their right to an education because they had been expelled. One of them was a boy of color who moved to another town after he was expelled.

Hartford Schools Welcome Adults From Puerto Rico

By • Jan 2, 2018
David DesRoches / WNPR

KendraLiz Gonzalez had been in cosmetology school for only two months when Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico, destroying her school. So she took her twin girls, hopped on a plane, and came to Hartford, where she's staying with her aunt.

College Gives Connecticut An 'F' Rating For Financial Literacy

By • Dec 18, 2017
Creative Commons

Connecticut is among the worst states in the country when it comes to being financially literate, according to a recent report by Champlain College.

Connecticut's Community Colleges Move Toward Consolidation

By • Dec 14, 2017
Chion Wolf / WNPR

Connecticut's Board of Regents are moving forward with a plan to dramatically restructure the state's community colleges. The board approved the proposal on Thursday, which would consolidate the 12 schools into one system with 12 campuses.

The system has been struggling financially for years as state funds have dwindled. The move is expected to save about $28 million dollars annually through staff cuts and resource sharing.

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