Several corporate leaders are launching a nonprofit
organization to push for education reforms in Connecticut, saying changes are critical to
the state's business climate, economy and the quality of its workforce.
The group members, including some current and former
corporate presidents, announced Tuesday at the state Capitol that their new
Connecticut Council for Education Reform is picking up where the Connecticut
Commission on Educational Achievement left off last year.
That government commission, appointed by then-Gov. M.
Jodi Rell, made more than 65 recommendations that
included better early childhood education for poor families and more training
and accountability for educators.
The main focus has been to close the academic achievement
gap between wealthy and poor students. Education studies have shown that Connecticut has the
largest disparity among all states.
For example, only 60 percent of low-income students in Connecticut graduate
from high school in four years, compared with 86 percent of their peers from
middle-class or upper-income homes.