A newly passed Connecticut bill will modernize the teacher certification process. House Bill 5436 is expected to make it easier for educators to teach at different grade levels.

The change is part of an effort to alleviate the state's ongoing teacher shortage, which is becoming cyclical. Burned-out teachers are leaving their jobs, straining remaining teachers and hose entering the field.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said the state needs to address other factors, too.

"Looking at the barriers to entry in terms of cost, the exams we use, the expectations of our edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) program," Dias outlined. "Some of that is also about how are we inviting second-career educators in and what are the programs we're using and how are those programs really supporting our new teachers."

Some opposed the measure during a recent public hearing, saying it felt rushed or was a short-term solution. Dias explained educating lawmakers about the system was key to understanding how the certification process got this way. Some wanted the changes implemented in 2025, but she noted being mindful of its effects means the changes will not roll out until 2026.

Educators are adapting to working through the shortage but Dias noted financial commitments have not been made to address it. It can be challenging since some starting salaries do not cover Connecticut's rising cost of living. She stressed conversations with lawmakers can bring stakeholders to the table to understand educator's value.

"These are highly desirable workers that are really getting pulled into other industries through salary and other competitive wage factors," Dias acknowledged. "For us, getting to 60,000 was really about being competitive with our other industries so that we can keep and attract these people to our profession."

While many teachers burned out during the COVID-19 crisis, reports showed it only exacerbated an existing problem. Nationally, almost 300,000 teachers were leaving the profession yearly before the pandemic.


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A new report examines how Virginia public colleges can help student parents.

The Urban Institute report reviews three policies schools can implement so student parents can thrive in college, and looks at the return on investment for each one.

The policies were a comprehensive student-parent support program, expanded grants, and on-campus childcare.

Theresa Anderson, principal research associate with the Urban Institute, said a comprehensive support program provides many benefits.

"A lot of time parents need to complete their education efficiently," said Anderson, "because there's a large opportunity cost in going to the school - because they're missing out on time with their children, they're missing out on time they could be working more."

Other benefits include helping student parents break feelings of isolation. The scholarship and grant program helps student parents make ends meet while they get their education.

On-campus childcare also helps student parents enroll, since other studies show not having childcare is a massive barrier they face.

The comprehensive student-parent support program had the highest return on investment of all the policies studied.

Every dollar invested in it could yield almost $6 in tax revenue and public-benefit savings. By 2035, this could benefit the public by an estimated $1.9 billion.

Anderson said lawmakers can easily put these policies into action.

"Appropriating resources for student-parent support programs on college campuses would be very feasible," said Anderson. "Texas did part of this by requiring colleges to establish student-parent liaison positions across the state, but this would be a step further where Virginia would be a leader in actually setting up programs across every campus."

She added increasing the college scholarship program would also be easy, since it creates a new option for parents on an existing program.

For on-campus childcare, Anderson cited New York as an example - since that state uses Federal Childcare Development funds, with Gov. Kathy Hochul allocating additional money.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Regents exams will no longer be a graduation requirement for New York State students.

The State Department of Education announced the change several months after reviewing the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures. Education advocates are grateful since studies show no evidence exit exams increase student achievement or raise a high school diploma's value.

Juliet Eisenstein, assistant director of the Post-Secondary Readiness Project at Advocates for Children of New York, said there are alternatives for students to demonstrate proficiency with their coursework.

"Those can include capstone learning experiences. They can include credentials that already exist like biliteracy credentials. It could include a performance-based assessment, a CTE program," Eisenstein outlined.

The options depend on the subject area and what students feel best display their knowledge of each subject. Though Regents exams will not be a graduation requirement, students will still have to take them to meet federal Every Student Succeeds Act requirements. A timeline is slated to come in the fall but Eisenstein pointed out it will be a while before this goes into effect.

Students would still be able to use Regents exams to show their proficiency in a certain subject but other options will also be available. The exams do not meet all students' needs, particularly those with learning disabilities. In her work with students, Eisenstein argued high-stakes exams push kids away from high school graduation.

"This idea that Regents exams help prepare students for high school is kind of a myth," Eisenstein contended. "In fact, exit exams tend to increase high school dropout rates particularly for students of color and for students from low-income neighborhoods"

Analysis of graduation data from 11,000 school districts over a decade found dropout rates for 12th graders were 23% higher in states requiring exit exams without alternative paths to graduation.


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A bill to increase Pennsylvania public school funding by billions of dollars passed the State House and is heading to the Senate for a vote.

House Bill 2370 proposes more than $5 billion extra in funding for the next seven years.

Pennsylvania State Education Association President Aaron Chapin said if the bill is signed into law, it would boost school funding and reflect critical elements of the Basic Education Funding Commission's majority report - which PSEA strongly supported when released in January.

"And essentially what it said is that 74% of our school districts, that's 371 districts out of 500, are underfunded at the state level," said Chapin. "And that means that hundreds of thousands of students across Pennsylvania, they're getting shortchanged by their state, and their schools are not getting the resources that more affluent districts have."

House Bill 2370 also reflects the recommendations in Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed fiscal 2024-25 budget, which suggests a $1.1 billion funding increase for Pennsylvania's public schools.

Chapin said the funding from HB 2370 will also help address the teacher shortage in Pennsylvania by allowing schools to offer competitive compensation.

"The bill says that districts may use funding to increase minimum salaries for professional employees to $60,000 a year, and minimum wages for support professionals for at least $20 an hour," said Chapin. "And what that's really going to do is empower school districts to attract more qualified caring adults to the education profession. "

Chapin noted that the bill addresses the Commonwealth Court ruling that found Pennsylvania's public school funding system unconstitutional.

He noted that the Basic Education Funding Commission traveled across the state and gathered input from educators, advocates and experts about the real needs of public schools.

"What that report said is that $9.5 billion in new state dollars need to be invested into our public schools over the next seven years," said Chapin. "And that will help close the gaps from decades and generations of underfunding. House Bill 2370 implements that commission's plan."

Chapin said his organization applauds House leadership's unwavering commitment to ensuring adequate and equitable public education funding.