In the context of a tight labor market with more jobs than workers to fill openings, and as young people increasingly seek alternatives to college, apprenticeships have become more important than ever. While the "earn and learn" model of apprenticeship seems to be the obvious choice to address labor market needs, it remains underutilized…

The purpose of this report is to provide readers with a comparative analysis of the Massachusetts workforce "system" structures and performance reporting processes compared to other states. Though the federal workforce development system is often examined in its entirety and individual state systems are at times examined independently,…

Immigrants and their children are a vital part of Connecticut's present and its future. Comprising 15 percent of the state's residents, immigrants have driven all population and workforce growth over the last decade and a half. In addition, about 30 percent of Connecticut children are part of immigrant families. Most immigrants in the state, as in…

Many students have concerns about the affordability of college, which may interfere with their potential success. However, foster care alumni have unique needs when making the transition into postsecondary enrollment. Compared to completion rates for the general population, postsecondary education outcomes for youth with foster care experience lag…

The outcomes states gain from investing in postsecondary financial aid programs remain hotly debated, leading to great interest in developing programs that are both cost-effective and productive in helping states meet goals. In the 2012-13 academic year, states collectively provided approximately $11.2 billion in financial aid to students enrolled…

In cities and towns across America, millions of children and youth get out of school by mid-afternoon but have neither a safe, supervised place to go nor a structured or engaging activity in which to participate. Because the hours between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. are when young people are most likely to be affected by crime or to engage in risky…

The Connecticut School Effectiveness Program, a statewide voluntary school improvement program, is described in this report. Information is presented on program activities and services, accomplishments, and areas of concern. The first section discusses the system used to determine individual schools' eligibility for state technical assistance at…

From 1989 until 1998 the U.S. Department of Education administered the National Workplace Literacy Demonstration Program. During that period, over $130 million supported some 300 projects where adult education programs partnered with thousands of businesses, agencies, and organizations to provide work-based skills to employees. While only seven…

The tenth annual report of the student financial assistance programs administered in Connecticut offers statistical data on the following programs: state scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate awards, Restricted Educational Achievement Grant Program, College Continuation Grant Program, Higher Education Grant Program, and Connecticut…

The purpose of this paper is to provide some background to the school finance problem in Connecticut, to digest parts of three financial reports, and to provide a framework for further discussion. The reports were sponsored by the Connecticut Education Association, the Governor's Commission on Tax Reform, and the Education Finance Study Commission…

This report analyzes policy trends in gifted education in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from 1984 through 1994. The decrease in state funding of gifted education during this period is investigated, along with the rise of private and university gifted programs. Findings from the analysis indicated that gifted students possess few of the…

The bilingual education programs of Connecticut are described. The 12 programs serviced 11,482 students in 1985-86; 93% of the program participants were dominant in Spanish. Seventy-one percent were in kindergarten through grade 5. Over 3,000 were new entrants to the program in that year. About 1 in 5 students in bilingual education were late…

This eleventh annual edition contains a concise presentation of statistics about Connecticut's educational system collected from major State and Federal sources arranged according to each town and school district. State totals are given for the following areas: (1) community data; (2) district students; (3) early childhood education programs; (4)…