Stuck in the middle with… half-day kindergarten

A Torrington, Conn. half-day kindergarten class (photo by Karla Woodworth, contributed by Torrington Early Childhood Collaborative)

The difference between wealthier towns and poorer ones in Connecticut is seen in the educational “achievement gap.” Today, we’re looking at one of the challenges of being in the middle. Specifically, the challenge of funding a full-day kindergarten program. The wealthier towns can afford all day kindergarten because of their tax base. The poorer cities have full-day K because they’re more eligible for grants and state and federal money. But districts like Torrington are stuck in the middle.

Here’s Will Stone’s story:
ws_kdisparity_121213

Most of the attention when we talk about disparity is on the top and bottom. But where else do you see the unique issues of being in the middle? Is your community forgotten, or stuck without resources? Comment here on the blog, or email us at disparity@wshu.org.

Conn. joins states in trying to address achievement gap with more school hours

Connecticut education officials have announced plans to extend school hours in some of the state’s neediest schools beginning next year. The announcement was made today at a forum with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in Washington. Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado and Tennessee will add at least 300 hours of learning a year to some low performing schools. U.S. Education Secretary Duncan says the goal is to boost student achievement in those states. The three year pilot program will affect about 20,000 students in 40 schools in the five states.

Governor Malloy says schools in Hartford, New Haven, Meriden, East Hartford and New London will participate. He says its a natural outgrowth of an education reform law passed by the state in May that included $100 million in new funding to help close the state’s academic achievement gap, one of the worst in the nation.

“The idea that we can tolerate different levels of achievement based on geography or race or wealth or home ownership simply doesn’t make any sense,” said Malloy.

Here’s Ebong Udoma’s story:
eu_extendedschool_121203

Connecticut education commissioner Stefan Pryor says teachers unions are helping make the longer school day happen.”Bridgeport has undertaken a shift method where they are beginning to look at how the teachers can arrive early or later and extend time with limited cost impact,” said Pryor.

Mark Waxenberg of the Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union says the important thing is not just adding time for time’s sake. “It’s how to use the time to advance the cause of public education.”

Federal, state and local district money will be used to cover the expanded learning time. The Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time and Learning are also chipping in resources. Here’s their press announcement.

Not everyone agrees that longer school days will make a difference. A report last year from the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education disputed the idea that American schools have fallen behind in classroom time. The report said students in high-performing countries like South Korea, Finland and Japan actually spend less time in school than most U.S. students.

Malloy says he hopes national education standard will help with achievement gap

Governor Dannel Malloy says he believes the state’s adoption of a new national education standard will help close Connecticut’s achievement gap, which is one of the worst in the country.
The national standards are sponsored by the National Governors Association. The hope is to bring diverse state curricula in alignment with each other. Here’s Ebong Udoma’s story:
eu_standards_121130
Governor Malloy says the inability of public schools in Connecticut to properly prepare 12th grade graduates to compete in college or to have the skills to get a job is “frightening.”