Promote Student Achievement

Educational attainment is a powerful predictor of well-being.  Young adults who have completed higher levels of education are more likely to achieve economic success than those who have not.⁽¹⁾

The Largest Achievement Gap in the Nation

According to the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement’s report⁽²⁾, CT has the largest achievement gap in the nation. The achievement gap is the difference in educational performance between low income and non low income students.⁽³⁾ Although this issue affects most of the towns in our region, New Haven is disproportionately affected given high poverty rates and a large number of low income students—indeed, more than half of the 20 town region’s low income students live in New Haven. Rates of low income students range from 3-4% in Madison, Bethany and Woodbridge to 60% in Ansonia and 81% in New Haven.⁽⁴⁾

The achievement gap is most often measured by Grade 4 reading proficiency. In New Haven, 42% of fourth grade low-income students were proficient in reading as compared to 63% of non-low-income students (and 85% of non-low-income students statewide). By comparison,  in over half of the other towns in the 20-town region, 80% or more of the students were proficient in reading, with a low of 42% in New Haven to a high of 92% in Woodbridge.⁽⁵⁾  Research has shown that two other powerful indicators are associated with the achievement gap: preschool attendance and drop out rates. Findings for Greater New Haven:

Change and a Promise

The Community Foundation is committed to addressing the education disparity that exists in our region and believes that education is the base on which long-term social progress is built. Our grantmaking history has long reflected this view.

Over the last decade alone, The Community Foundation has invested  more than $11 million in discretionary funds to programs that promote quality early childhood care and education, foster parental involvement in child’s learning, support charter schools, improve high school graduation rates and assist students in pursuing a college degree. Foundation support for programs that increase pre-school and improve quality help with K-4 learning and drop-out prevention. Most recently, The Community Foundation invested $1 million to create the Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology to equip urban youth and adults with job skills that are relevant in today’s market place and made a multi-year commitment in 2009 to invest $2.5 million in the New Haven Promise, a critical component to the New Haven School Change Initiative, the largest school reform effort in our region.

The New Haven School Change Initiative goals are to:

• Eliminate the achievement gap, bringing New Haven students to Connecticut averages on the CMT and CAPT standardized tests within five years.
• Cut the dropout rate in half.
• Ensure every graduating student has the academic ability and the financial resources to attend and succeed in college.

New Haven Promise is a critical component of the New Haven School Change Initiative. Its focus is on:

• promoting college education as an aspiration for all New Haven Public School students
• assisting graduating students in their pursuit of education after high school.
• enhancing the growth, stability and economic development of the City of New Haven.

The Community Foundation provides funding and administration for New Haven Promise.

What you can do

To assist in the work toward improving student achievement, consider donating to a local nonprofit on giveGreater.org , volunteering, or creating a permanent fund designated for education. Already have a fund at The Community Foundation? Make a grant recommendation by logging on to DonorCentral. You can create change with just a click of the keyboard.

⁽¹⁾     childtrends databank 
⁽²⁾     www.ctedreform.org
⁽³⁾   "Low income” is defined as being eligible for free or reduced priced meals
^(4,5,6,7)  http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/CedarHome.aspx

October 2011