CCER Provides SAT Opportunity in Urban School Districts

New Haven, Connecticut – Today, September 15, 2015, the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) announced that it will be funding SAT preparation opportunities within the Bridgeport Public Schools and East Hartford Public Schools. This project is being conducted in partnership with Kaplan K12 Learning Services, which will provide 18 hours of direct instruction and two practice test experiences to an aggregate of 125 students in Bassick High School (Bridgeport), Harding High School (Bridgeport), Central High School (Bridgeport), and East Hartford High School (East Hartford). The initiative begins this Saturday, September 19th, 2015, in both districts.

Explaining how the initiative was born, Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of CCER, stated, “Connecticut has recently shifted to making the SAT a mandatory exam for high school students.  While this policy shift may address concerns regarding over-testing in high school, it is also likely to increase the educational inequities that already exist among the students who attend our public school districts. That’s why we’re doing what we can to begin leveling the playing field.”

Bridgeport Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz said, “The SAT prep provided by CCER is incredibly beneficial to our students. They deserve and need very effective preparation for this assessment, and I feel that the Kaplan Prep gives them an equal opportunity to compete with their suburban peers. Many thanks to CCER for helping Bridgeport with the best SAT preparation available.”

Ned Lamont, Secretary and Treasurer of the CCER Board of Directors, was once a part-time teacher at Bridgeport’s Harding High School. He said, “Nobody likes testing, but college admissions officers put a lot of weight in how you perform on the SAT test. Harding students are extraordinary, and this prep program will remind colleges how extraordinary they are.”

In East Hartford, Superintendent Nate Quesnel described the project as, “an incredible opportunity for East Hartford kids.”

“The tutoring sessions will provide the kids with the needed skills for SAT success and an ability to take that next big step,” he said. “We are extremely appreciative of this partnership and look forward to the success of the program.”

Bryan R. Hall, the Chairman of the Board of Education in East Hartford, said, “We are confident that this partnership with CCER and Kaplan will expand East Hartford’s ability to meet the needs of our students and increase their opportunities to access the college of their dreams. We are very appreciative to CCER for finding a way to provide this valuable support in a tangible, real, and ‘shovel ready’ manner when it comes to kids.“

In response, Villar added, “We believe that this initiative has the potential to provide students with increased opportunities. Improved results on the SAT can impact college admissions and the availability of scholarship funds, both of which are real game changers for students and their families. All of these students deserves an exceptional education, without an exception.”

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