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Education panel faults Conn. on achievement gap

By Everton Bailey Jr.
Associated Press

HARTFORD — The performance gap between low-income Connecticut students and their peers is the largest in the country, according to a state-appointed education committee.

Citing last year’s eighth-grade math test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement announced yesterday that there is a 34-point gap between low-income students and their peers. The disparity is the biggest in the nation, the commission said. The national average was 27 points.

“The achievement gap is not just a tragedy for the children involved, who will go out into the world without the skills they need to succeed; it’s a tragedy for our state,’’ said Steven Simmons, the group’s chairman.

The commission found fourth- and eighth-grade low-income students are, on average, about three grade levels behind their peers in reading and math. They also said 60 percent of low-income students graduated from high school in 2009, compared with 86 percent of more affluent students.

Members of the commission said they have visited school districts in New York, Massachusetts, and Delaware and plan to release a report Oct. 20 with suggestions on how to help close the state’s gap.

Simmons said the report would focus on ways to attract better teachers and school leaders to Connecticut schools, tips on how to better prepare and support state educators, methods on how to help struggling institutions, and ideas on how to reallocate financial resources.

He said prekindergarten education would also be explored.

Members of the committee said they believe the achievement gap could have a significant impact on the state’s unemployment rate and economy.

“Our state needs to attract new business, yet new businesses need skilled workers,’’ commission member Dudley Williams said. “Without basic reading and math abilities, these skills are rarely present, and without these abilities, unemployment is far likely to rise.’’

Tom Murphy, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said he believes there is a direct correlation between poverty and minority students.

Despite the link, Murphy said, the latest standardized tests scores show Connecticut African-American and Hispanic students are performing at the same level, if not better, than their national counterparts.

“It is a national problem, and it’s probably the most pressing educational and economic issue facing our state today,’’ he said.

Last month, Connecticut was not chosen as a finalist in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top education grant program.

The state was seeking $175 million in federal funding to help jump-start a series of education measures passed by the Legislature, including stricter high school graduation requirements and improved tracking of student and teacher performance.

“We are all collectively disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get the [grant],’’ commission member Ramani Ayer said. “At the same time, we believe the state must stay extremely focused on ensuring that we close this gap.’’

But Murphy said pouring more money into the state’s education system may not solve all of its problems.