The Business Connection
Connecticut State Scholars has attracted not only the support of the State Department of Education, local school districts, and the Department of Higher Education but also direct involvement from employers and chambers of commerce.
In New Haven, the CT Scholars Academy was established to improve the academics of ninth and tenth graders so that they can take honors-level classes in their junior and senior years. United Illuminating helped fund a summer academy for incoming freshmen and supplemental programs throughout year.
In Dabury, a math lab funded by General Electric and Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, offers extra help to students struggling with basic math, those in AP calculus, and everyone in between. Open throughout the day and after school, the lab is staffed by math teachers volunteering during their planning periods.
In Waterbury, employees from Donham Craft and Indutrial Drives and Controls spoke to all tenth-grade English classes at Wilby High School. Guest speakers emphasized the connections between rigorous coursework at the high-school level, success in college, and higher earning potential.
"Kids might hear it from their parents," says Dayl Walker, CBIA's project director for Connecticut State Scholars. "They certainly get it from teachers. But when a businessperson comes into the classroom and delivers the message that school matters, that's when students sit up and take notice."
Get Involved
CSS has informed CBIA's pulic policy efforts in high- school reform and defined the core requirements for our career academies. We are continuing to work with business representatives and school districts to help kids see the connections between progress reports and paychecks. If your company would like to get involved, let us know. We can give you the training, materials, and support you need. Contact Dayl Walker, project director for Connecticut State Scholars.
What Is Connecticut State Scholars?
A dynamic partnership beween businesses and public schools, Connecticut State Scholars (CSS) prepares students for higher education and the workforce by boosting their enrollment in rigorous classes. It trains business leaders to speak to middle- and high-school students and help them understand how challenging courses in high school lead to careers with higher salaries and greater respect and satisfaction.
With a $300,000 startup grant from the Center for State Scholars, CBIA's Education Foundation launched CSS programs in Danbury, Middletown, and New Haven. CBIA was one of only 12 state business organizations nationwide selected for the grant.
This low-cost, high-impact strategy is part of the nationwide State Scholars Initiative, operating in 20 states across the country. SSI was created to address a modern reality: Our rapidly changing global economy demands more of workers now than at any other time in history—more skill, a broader knowledge base, and a greater capacity to learn.
Plan of Study
A majority of jobs today require at least some education after high school,
and research shows a direct correlation between high-school coursework and postsecondary achievement, career success, and earning power. In particular, challenging classes in math, science, social studies, English, and foreign language are linked to higher rates of high-school completion and college enrollment and graduation.
Courses Recommended by CSI:
- language arts—4 years
- mathematics—3+ years, including algebra I and II and geometry
- lab science—3+ years, including biology, chemistry, and physics
- social studies—3.5 years, including U.S. history and world history, geography, and economics
- world language—2 years of the same
