In broad terms, CBIA's goals are to...
- Ensure that all of Connecticut's children enter kindergarten ready to learn
- Raise academic standards for all students in Connecticut's public schools
- Close the achievement gap for urban, rural and minority youth
- Strengthen Connecticut’s job training system
- Increase the number of skilled workers in our state's high-growth industries
CBIA's Education Agenda
Connecticut's education system—which had long been ranked among the best in the nation—has slipped, putting our state's students in 23rd place for eighth-grade reading scores and 31st place for math. In a 2008 CBIA survey of businesses, 82% of hiring managers and executives reported difficulty finding workers qualified to fill positions in their firms.
Today more than ever, a state's economic success is dependent on the knowledge, innovation, and productivity of its people. Connecticut's education and job training systems must respond to this reality—as well as the challenges posed by changing demographics in our state, which include an aging population and an outmigration of young adults.
Closing the Gap
CBIA works to advance a number of public policy goals related to education and workforce training. Our agenda addresses two major achievement gaps: (1) the gap between Connecticut's poor and minority youth and its white, middle- and upper-class students, and (2) the gap between American students and those studying in foreign countries.