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November 2009—Vol. 87, No. 9

 

CBIA, educators, state

Making strides toward education reform

Initiatives under way to ensure students entering
college, workforce have skills to succeed

 

By Bill DeRosa

 

One consequence of Connecticut’s loss of nearly 80,000 jobs in the recession has been a temporary, partial reversal of a longstanding trend toward workforce shortages in many of the state’s key industry sectors. According to the 2009 CBIA/BlumShapiro Survey of Connecticut Businesses, 68% of respondents reported no difficulty finding or attracting qualified workers. In contrast, surveys in 2008 and 2007 revealed workforce shortages among 61% and 66% of respondents, respectively.

We know, however, that this state of affairs will be short-lived, as the economy begins to improve and companies seek to rebuild their workforces. In fact, even in the current economic climate, many companies—32% of our survey respondents—are still struggling to recruit employees. The majority of those firms are manufacturers—where a shortage of workers for high-skill, technical jobs is typically most acute—and most (65%) cite a lack of qualified applicants as the cause.

“This issue has far-reaching implications for our state,” says Judith K. Resnick, executive director of CBIA’s Education Foundation. “If Connecticut can’t meet the labor needs of its employers, we risk losing those employers—and the jobs they provide—to other states and other countries. We operate in a knowledge-based, technological, global economy, and our employers can develop talent anywhere in the world. If they can’t find it here in Connecticut, they’ll go elsewhere.”

Why the shortage of qualified job applicants? To be sure, demographic trends play a role. Young people, for example, who typically make up a large percentage of the job applicant pool, have been leaving Connecticut in record numbers. A 2007 report by the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute shows that between 1990 and 2004, Connecticut experienced a 30% decline in people ages 25–34—the steepest drop in that age group of any state in the country. Add to this the aging of the baby boomers who, as they begin to retire in greater numbers, will also contribute to the shortage of workers for high-skill, high-demand jobs in Connecticut.

But demographics don’t tell the whole story. Data from CBIA’s 2008 Availability of Skilled Workers in Connecticut survey shows that business leaders recognize the link between their difficulty finding skilled workers and an education system that is not adequately preparing students for entry into high-skill, high-wage jobs. Forty-four percent of respondents in that study attributed the shortage of qualified job applicants to schools’ failure to prepare students for the job market. Almost twice that (85%) said improving public education could have a strong positive impact on Connecticut’s workforce, and 98% said that efforts to improve math and science education are important for preparing young people for future careers.

Tale of the tests

Lackluster results for Connecticut students in the latest round of the SATs and CAPTs (Connecticut Academic Performance Tests) support the argument that schools need to do a better job of preparing students for college and the modern workplace, especially when it comes to math and science. Although Connecticut’s average SAT math score (508) represents a one-point increase over last year’s mark, that score is still two points below the national average.

“For a state that has traditionally prided itself on being at the top in education, that trend is troubling,” says CBIA President and CEO John Rathgeber.

State Education Commissioner Dr. Mark McQuillan agrees. “Our students’ mathematics skills, in particular, will have an impact on our future economy,” he says. “I am concerned that several states with [SAT] participation rates as strong as Connecticut’s are also scoring well above us. We need to do more in math and science, and I view this with a sense of urgency.”

McQuillan is also concerned about evidence from the SATs that shows a continuing disparity in achievement between minority students and white students.

“While there are some gains in the performance of minority students this year, the gaps between white students and black and Hispanic students continue to challenge us,” he says. “We need to find better ways to prepare our black and Hispanic students for college and new ways to engage them in their learning. This is why we are proposing secondary school reform with a focus on student engagement, supports, and interventions and student success plans.”

Results of the 2009 CAPT also suggest that McQuillan’s sense of urgency is well-founded. The trend from 2007 to 2008 had been generally positive, with scores improving in most subject areas. This year’s scores, however, show a reversal of that trend. In the math portion of the CAPT, for example, the percentage of tenth-graders scoring at or above goal decreased from 50.2% in 2008 to 48% this year, a drop of 2.2 percentage points. The percentage scoring at or above the proficient level decreased by 1.3 points, from 79.7% to 78.4%. Science scores declined more steeply: The percentage of students scoring at or above goal dropped from 46.5% in 2008 to 43% in 2009, a decline of 3.5 percentage points. The percentage scoring at or above the proficient level dipped from 80.5% to 78.4%, a decrease of 2.1 percentage points.

Working together for change

Against the backdrop of achievement gaps and slipping test scores, it is critical that Connecticut regain its position as an educational leader, strengthening education standards and improving student performance. Initiatives designed to do just that—and ultimately strengthen the pipeline of highly qualified workers to the industry sectors that drive Connecticut’s economy—are being spearheaded by an impressive coalition of stakeholders, including CBIA, the business community, educators, and state government.

“CBIA has contended for years,” says Rathgeber, “that if Connecticut is to remain an economic leader, policymakers, educators, and business leaders must all work together to address the issues that are challenging our ability to produce enough skilled workers and sustain our competitiveness. Those groups are now focusing on the problem like never before and collaborating on some truly exciting, innovative programs that are already showing positive outcomes. The result, I believe, is that we’re beginning to see the emergence of a new education paradigm for the state of Connecticut.”

The high school reform plan

One of the most prominent initiatives, Connecticut’s plan for secondary-school reform, has received strong support from CBIA and business leaders throughout the state. The plan, “Academic and Personal Success for Every Middle and High School Student,” was developed by the State Department of Education (SDE), adopted by the State Board of Education in October 2008, and raised this year as Senate Bill 944 by the General Assembly’s Education Committee. It not only transforms the high school curriculum and strengthens graduation requirements, it also ensures that students receive the guidance and support they need to meet more rigorous academic standards.

“Connecticut’s future workforce is simply not prepared for the rigor of the college campus or the demands of the international workplace,” says McQuillan, one of the architects of the plan. “Too many of our high school graduates require remedial assistance in their freshman year of college. Too few of our students graduate from college, and too few of our graduates enter the workforce prepared to succeed.

“We must do more to help our high school students to become engaged in their learning, to aspire to higher levels of achievement, and to meet the high standards that businesses require of their employees. This will require new structures, new approaches, and new resources in our secondary schools. Most other states have taken these steps; it is time for Connecticut to rise to the occasion.”

The high school reform plan proposes to increase required graduation credits from 20 to 25 and focuses on (1) engaging students in learning; (2) requiring them to take more rigorous courses in math, science, language arts, and other critical areas; and (3) motivating them to acquire the skills needed to analyze and solve problems, interpret information, make informed decisions, and communicate effectively in a global environment. (View the entire plan at www.cbia.com/edf/documents/TheConnecticutPlan.pdf.)

Although the plan was not passed by the state legislature this year, it gained much more momentum than it had in the past and garnered strong support from both the House and Senate.

The State Department of Education continues to move the initiative forward and is applying for a $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” grant, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Obtaining federal dollars will enable the SDE to present legislators with a more concrete proposal that addresses some of the funding concerns when the reform bill is raised again in next year’s General Assembly session.

Universities join the effort

High school reform got a boost in March when the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS), which includes Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Connecticut state universities, voted to strengthen admission standards for students beginning as soon as 2015 in subjects such as math, science, social studies, and world language. The new standards, which are equivalent to those in the high school reform legislation, are more specific in terms of coursework than current CSUS guidelines and include an increase in the number of years students must take math (from three years to four) and science (from two years to three).

CSUS Chancellor David G. Carter emphasizes that CSUS is prepared to work with local boards of education, businesses, state agencies, and community-based organizations in preparation for the new standards. “As a state,” says Carter, “we must give every student an opportunity to be college-ready and workforce-ready if Connecticut is to thrive.”



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