New Haven–In an online newsletter today, the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) announced that it has expanded its core work to include providing school districts with supports to raise student achievement. Previously, the organization had focused primarily on advocating for state-level policies.
“Our mission is to close the achievement gap while raising academic outcomes for all public school students in Connecticut,” said Jeffrey Villar, executive director of CCER. “Since its inception, CCER has worked hard at the state-level to advocate for policies that are shown to close gaps in achievement. But we also know that we need to turn these policies into good practices within the schools and districts if we want to reach a day when every child receives a first class education.”
CCER believes that school districts need strong core management systems if they are going to boost student achievement. However, busy district leaders often lack the time necessary to rethink how management systems are working. Free support from CCER might help these leaders to tackle such systems in a strategic and district-wide fashion—ultimately for the purpose of raising student achievement.
The organization has already completed two such projects in a large, urban school district, where two core management systems (human capital and district finance) were analyzed and systemic changes were recommended.
“We aren’t ceasing to advocate for the same policies,” cautioned Villar. “We are merely pursuing them through an additional avenue. Now, our organization will be protecting them at the state-level, while simultaneously advancing them at the district-level.”
About the Connecticut Council for Education Reform
The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) is a statewide, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) organization that works to close the achievement gap while raising academic outcomes for all students in Connecticut. The achievement gap is the disparity in academic achievement between minority and children and their peers. We support reforms that advance best practices and innovations in education to ensure that every child has an exceptional education. We do our work primarily by: (1) advocating for state policies and state and local practices that research shows have the best chance of raising achievement for high-need student populations; (2) working directly with districts to build strong systems that will support reform efforts; and (3) raising public awareness about the need to affect long-term, sweeping change in the public education system. Our Board of Directors is comprised of prominent business and civic leaders who are deeply committed to our mission.
For more information on CCER, go to www.ctedreform.org.
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Contact: Nicki Perkins
Nicki.Perkins@ctedreform.org
C: 203.506.5799
O: 203.859.6615
