CONNECTICUT
VOICES FOR CHILDREN
Unequal Schools: How Connecticut’s Segregation Limits Access to Educational Resources May 21, 2015
Rachel Leventhal-Weiner, PhD | Education Policy Fellow Kenneth Feder | Policy Analyst Sarah Iverson | Policy Fellow www.ctvoices.org
Introducing Connecticut Voices for Children Mission All Connecticut children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Methods Research, Data, and Fiscal Analysis Public Policy Advocacy and Public Education Core Issues Healthy Child Development Universal High-Quality Education Equity and Opportunity Strategic Investment www.ctvoices.org 2
Research Questions
Does residential segregation result in disparities in access to small class sizes (particularly in kindergarten) or experienced teachers?
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Schools with Largest Class Sizes Clustered in High Poverty Towns
Sixty-one percent of schools with the largest kindergarten classes were located in the 10 towns with the highest child poverty rates. www.ctvoices.org 4
Schools with Least Experienced Teachers Clustered in High Poverty Towns
Forty-seven percent of all public schools with the least experienced teachers were located in the ten towns with the highest child poverty rates. www.ctvoices.org 5
Research Questions
How can we explain why residential segregation limits access to school resources?
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State Education Aid Cannot Overcome Property Wealth Gap Connecticut's Low-Poverty School Districts Outspend HighPoverty Districts 6,800
6,661
Average Per-Pupil Spending
6,600
6,514 6,422
6,400 6,200 6,000 5,839 5,800 5,600 5,400 Low-‐poverty districts
Low-‐middle poverty districts
High-‐middle poverty districts
High-‐poverty districts
Connecticut school districts serving the fewest students in poverty outspend districts serving the most students in poverty by over $1,200 per-pupil. Our rich-poor spending gap is worse than all but 9 other states. www.ctvoices.org 7
Schools with Fewer Resources Clustered in Towns with Least Wealth
Schools with the largest kindergarten classes or the least experienced teachers, or both, appear to be disproportionately concentrated in towns with the lowest property value. www.ctvoices.org 8
Schools with Greater Resources in Towns with Less Affordable Housing
Schools with the largest kindergarten classes appear to be disproportionately concentrated in towns with a large percentage of affordable housing stock. www.ctvoices.org 9
Recommendations 1. Investment: Connecticut must improve the current system of education funding to ensure every child has access to a high quality and substantially equal education. 2. Transparency: Connecticut and its schools should increase transparency in how education money is spent, to ensure dollars are invested in evidence-based resources. 3. Family Mobility: Connecticut should investigate barriers to racial and socioeconomic residential integration, and take action to alleviate any barriers identified.
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Questions?
Kenneth Feder Policy Analyst Connecticut Voices for Children kfeder@ctvoices.org 203.498.4240 x117
Sarah Iverson Policy Fellow Connecticut Voices for Children siverson@ctvoices.org 203.498.4240 x107
Rachel Leventhal-Weiner, PhD Education Policy Fellow Connecticut Voices for Children rglweiner@ctvoices.org 203.498.4240 x120
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