The Connecticut Education Association, representing 41,000 members in Connecticut, endorsed Jim Himes for Congress today. From their press release:
Saying he offers new hope for Connecticut's schools, the Connecticut Education Association is backing Jim Himes for Congress in the 4th Congressional District.
CEA President Phil Apruzzese said, "Jim Himes knows that great public schools are the key to creating opportunity for every American. A product of public schools himself, Jim understands that a great public education is the key to success for every student. In addition, as a businessman, he understands that high-quality education is critical to maintaining America's economic strength. In Congress, Jim will be dedicated to improving our schools, an effort that begins by fully funding No Child Left Behind. Jim will be a leading voice for education reform that improves our schools, recognizes the contributions of our teachers, and equips every student for success. CEA is proud to endorse his candidacy."
Himes' daughter Emma (8) attends public school, and his daughter Linley (5) will start public school this fall. Himes knows first hand that Washington needs to invest in schools that are in need of improvement, not punish them.
"Great public schools are the key to the American Dream," said Himes. "Our district is home to great schools, as well as schools that really struggle. In Congress, I will work every day to find ways to keep our good schools strong while revitalizing our struggling schools. The clear first step in this process is to fully fund No Child Left Behind, so that our schools aren't crushed by unfunded mandates."
Jim joined teachers at Cloonan Middle School in Stamford this afternoon for the official announcement at an end-of-year BBQ (brought briefly indoors by the rain today):
This endorsement (coincidentally) comes a few days after a Department of Education study concluded that the Washington D.C. school voucher program, which Chris Shays supported in 2004, hasn't worked:
Students in the D.C. school voucher program, the first federal initiative to spend taxpayer dollars on private school tuition, generally did no better on reading and math tests after two years than public school peers, a U.S. Education Department report said yesterday.
The findings mirror those in previous studies of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program…. Students who previously attended struggling schools — a group the program is designed to help — showed no boost in test scores compared with their peers.
Yes, but test scores aren’t the only measure of success. Maybe the students are in a safer environment. Or, maybe it takes longer than just two years to raise scores.
I am not saying I’m in favor of the charter school voucher program, but I am saying, there should be more than standardized test data to determine whether a program “works.”
Maybe the data is there but just wasn’t mentioned here.
I am pleased that the CEA is endorsing Jim Himes for Congress.
However, what the endorsement failed to mention is Mr. Himes position of the social security off set ruling. I know, for example, that Chris Shays adamantly opposes its repeal. What is Jim Himes position ? I believe this issue is of great importance to teachers, especially those who are retired.
I would be interested in working on Mr. Himes’ campaign in the fall.
Dr. Joseph Ricciotti
Adjunct Professor, GSEAP, Fairfield University
Stamford Talk—that study wasn’t about charter schools; it was about vouchers for private and parochial schools. The study showed that not only do vouchers not work to raise test scores, they also didn’t work in less quantifiable ways: they didn’t make the kids any more satisfied in surveys.
Many teachers unions, including CEA, support charter schools. They just don’t support using taxpayer money to fund private and religious schools that aren’t accountable and aren’t required to educate all kids!
Oh, and congratulations to Jim Himes!!!
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