Government Issues and Politics
Insurance and Employee Benefits
Business and Economic Info
Human Resources and Safety
Education Policy and Practice
Training and Consulting Services
Education Policies & Practices
School Improvement Preparing Students for Careers Education in the Workplace Employer Involvement

Vanguard Schools

In a statewide conference on April 1, CBIA, in partnership with the State Department of Education (SDE) and State Education Resource Center (SERC), recognized four new Connecticut "Vanguard Schools" for outperforming peer schools on standardized tests and other academic assessments. The schools are

  • Hamilton Avenue Elementary (Greenwich)
  • Bristol Eastern High School (Bristol)
  • Platt Technical High School (Milford)
  • Ponus Ridge Middle School (Norwalk)

CBIA spearheaded the creation of the Connecticut Vanguard Schools Initiative in 2005, in partnership with the SDE and SERC. The program identifies schools with demonstrated scucces in improving students' academic performance and raising student achievement scores. Those schools then share their successful strategies and best practices with other districts to help them replicate effective programs.

 

This year's conference was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell. The primary business sponsor for this event was McCarter & English. Other sponsors included Bank of America, as well as The United Illuminating Company, which is supporting Vanguard School Platt Tech and its partner school, Eli Whitney.

 

No Child Left Behind

In January 2002, President Bush and Congress finalized reforms of federal education programs. The No Child Left Behind Act 2002 (NCLB) amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise, reauthorize and consolidate various programs. The overall goal of NCLB is to have all students proficient by 2014.

     As its pillars, NCLB has increased accountability for states, school districts, and schools; greater choice for parents and students, particularly those attending low-performing schools; more flexibility for states and local educational agencies (LEAs) in the use of federal education dollars; and a stronger emphasis on reading.

 

10 Facts About K-12 Education Funding
Education Policy at the State Capitol
2006 Survey on Business Community's Views of the U.S. Education System