PROGRAM

Raising the Bar for High School Graduation in Connecticut: A Good Idea?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008, State Legislative Office Building, 3 – 5:30 p.m.

Hosts:     Senator Thomas Gaffey – Education Committee Co-Chair
                                   Representative Andrew Fleischmann – Education Committee Co-Chair


3:00 – Welcome and introductions – Courtney Bourns, President, Citizens Network, and Senator Thomas Gaffey and Representative Andrew Fleischmann – Co-chairs, Education Committee.


3:15 – Set up piece from CPTV documentary: “Today’s Children in Tomorrow’s World“

3:30 – Speakers to “frame” the discussion:

  • Chris Bruhl – President & CEO, The Business Council of Fairfield County – Describing the factors in Connecticut, the United States and the world that underscore the importance of the State Board of Education’s proposal
  • Michael Sentance – Regional Director, U.S. Department of Education – describing the Massachusetts’s plan --- one that has received “high marks”
  • Mark McQuillan – Commissioner, State Department of Education - describing Connecticut’s proposed plan.
3:45 –Discussion (with moderator, Richard Sugarman, President, Connecticut Forum) ---
  • Dr. Steven Adamowski, Superintendent, Hartford Public Schools
  • Cal Heminway, Chair, Granby Board of Education; President, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
  • Michael Meotti, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education
  • Mary Loftus Levine, Director of Policy and Professional Practice, Connecticut Education Association
  • Lauren Kaufman, Vice President, Connecticut Business and Industry Association
  • Steven Cassano, Former Mayor of Manchester; Executive Director, Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding; Board Member, Capital Workforce Partners
During the panel discussion the moderator will entertain questions from the audience and will invite Messrs. Bruhl, Sentance and McQuillan to respond to panelists’ comments.

5:05 – Brief concluding summary by Richard Sugarman and remarks from Senator Gaffey and Representative Fleischmann.

5:15 – Charge to forum participants re follow-up community discussions

5:30 – Refreshments

Registration: Please send your name, group affiliation, town, email address and phone number by September 30th to Debby Rihm: drihm@crcog.org. Questions - please email or call Courtney Bourns, President of the Citizens Network: cbourns@citizensnetwork.info or 983-7894.

Forum Co-sponsors: Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, Connecticut Education Association, Connecticut Association of Schools, The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Inc., Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut Office for Workforce Competitiveness, Connecticut Employment and Training Commission, Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, Hartford Public Library, The League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford, Leadership Greater Hartford, The Connecticut Forum, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Capital Workforce Partners, Capitol Region Education Council, CT Voices for Children, Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, MetroHartford Alliance, Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, Greater Hartford Arts Council, East of the River Chamber of Commerce Association, The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund.

Special Thanks to The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund for a grant to make this forum possible.

Background: The State Board of Education has proposed new high school graduation requirements for Connecticut and will ask the 2009 General Assembly to pass enabling legislation.* The Board has noted Connecticut no longer leads the country in mathematics and reading as it did in the early 90s and that other states are catching up with and surpassing it in reading, mathematics and science. A problem confronting both urban and suburban schools, it has growing and serious ramifications for the State’s competitiveness in the global marketplace. Studies show that not only is Connecticut falling behind relative to other states but that the United States, as a whole, is falling behind other countries. Thus Connecticut’s students must be equipped to compete globally. And this reality is compounded by the fact that 40% of the Capital Region’s workforce will come from our cities even as we experience a very wide achievement gap that is not narrowing at an acceptable rate.
Citizen Engagement: The proposal is not widely known and has received limited public debate. Because the reasons for it are important as are the potential ramifications for school districts, students, families, teachers, taxpayers and communities, the Citizens Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization which does not have a position on the proposal, is encouraging public participation in the conversation as it moves forward. The free forum on October 7th, with its 25 sponsors, is being held for this purpose.

Proposed new high school graduation requirements (SDE Press Release, January 10, 2008):

  • An increase in minimum diploma credits to 24;
  • A core curriculum of required courses;
  • The embedding of 21st Century learning skills such as communication and teamwork skills into model curricula;
  • State-administered end-of-course examinations;
  • Locally administered end-of-course performance tasks;
  • Student success plans with career path options; and
  • A senior year demonstration project

24 Saddle Ridge Drive, West Hartford, CT 06117

860-983-7894, www.citizensnetwork.info