According to a new report from the Connecticut State Department of Education, Connecticut students are making progress in the classroom, with improvements in academic performance, graduation rates and college readiness.
While the latest numbers show encouraging trends, education leaders across Connecticut say there’s still work to be done to ensure students in every district across the state have equal opportunities to succeed.
The findings are part of Connecticut’s Next Generation Accountability System, which measures school and district performance across 12 indicators, including academic achievement, attendance, graduation rates and student engagement.
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While the report highlights improvements across several areas, the data also shows that not all Connecticut students are experiencing the same level of success.
The state recognized 138 schools as Schools of Distinction for high academic performance, significant improvement or student growth.
At the same time, 72 schools were identified as needing additional state support, including 40 Turnaround Schools and 32 Focus Schools.
Additionally, just under half of Connecticut students in grades 11 and 12 met at least one of the state’s college readiness benchmarks, such as qualifying scores on the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams.
Michael Morton, the deputy executive director and chief of staff of the School and State Finance Project, said statewide improvements don’t necessarily reflect what every student is experiencing.
“We can’t just look at the overall picture and assume that everyone is doing better. Because we know that’s not true, particularly for our highest need students and our lowest wealth communities,” Morton said. “We need to make sure that we are continuing to target investments in those areas and that we’re not letting any student fall through the cracks.”
He added that one of the biggest challenges facing Connecticut is its reliance on local property taxes to fund public education.
He said that system can create significant differences in the resources available to students depending on where they live.
“Money matters. Money is not everything, but it matters,” Morton said. “So how you utilize resources is absolutely key, but we’re also dealing with a system that has underfunded public schools, particularly our highest need schools, for decades and decades.”
Morton noted that Connecticut has made significant progress in education funding over the past decade, but he believes more needs to be done to ensure resources are distributed based on student needs.
He also emphasized the importance of accountability and making sure districts invest in proven strategies that improve academic outcomes.
The state is continuing to invest in several initiatives aimed at improving student outcomes, including literacy programs, tutoring, attendance initiatives and expanded opportunities for high school students to earn college credits.