New Haven, Connecticut – The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), today released its policy priorities for the 2014 legislative session. Jeffrey Villar, CCER’s executive director, said the organization’s primary priority is to protect the education reforms passed through legislation in 2012 and 2013.

“The key to a more prosperous future for our state is providing every single child with a world-class education,” Villar said. “That’s why we need to sustain the reform efforts that began in 2012, and we need to support their successful implementation. That means no de-funding. No delays.”

CCER’s four other priorities for this coming legislative session are to:

• Provide the preschool experience to all Connecticut children from low-income families so that they get the starts they deserve–regardless of their family’s income;
• Remove unnecessary barriers that discourage talented district leaders from working in Connecticut;
• Ensure that education dollars are invested where they will be most effective, like funding extended learning opportunities; and
• Jumpstart the development of a quality statewide longitudinal data system in Connecticut that allows us to track the achievement of every student from pre-K through college.

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.

# # #

Contact:  Nicki Perkins
Nicki.Perkins@ctedreform.org
C: 203.506.5799
O: 203.859.6615