Commentary: Public Education’s Alarming Reversal of Learning Trend

School Work

Call it the big reset – downward – in public education.

The alarming plunge in academic performance during the pandemic was met with a significant drop in grading and graduation standards to ease the pressure on students struggling with remote learning. The hope was that hundreds of billions of dollars of emergency federal aid would enable schools to reverse the learning loss and restore the standards.

Read More

Connecticut Taps Federal Pandemic Funds for Free School Meals

Connecticut is tapping into federal funding to provide hundreds of thousands of public school students with free breakfast and lunch.

The state Department of Education announced that $16 million of funding the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act will be diverted to Connecticut’s free school meals program for the 2023-2024 school year, allowing students to get free meals regardless of their family’s income.

Read More

Federal Dollars Earmarked to Combat Connecticut Youth Substance Abuse

Federal funding to combat youth substance abuse is coming to Connecticut, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson says.

The veteran legislator announced the state has received $375,000 from the Drug-Free Community Support Program that will be used to assist three coalitions working to prevent substance abuse in Connecticut’s First District, serving Hartford, Litchfield and Middlesex counties.

Read More