Data Visualization Images Seek to Define Political Season

For an interesting look-back at the 2012 session of the Connecticut state legislature, there is the data visualization designed by Readily Apparent, a Connecticut-based company founded by Brendan Hanrahan and David Smith as a means of visually conveying insights that can be gained with the use of relational data designs and dynamic graphics. Their areas of focus include Data Visualization - compelling visuals, tables, animations to reveal the meaning of information – as well as data design and management, legislative tracking and analysis and opposition research for candidates.

Their clickable tree-map gives a “30,000-foot view” of activity by policy area for the 2012 Connecticut General Assembly session--with click-thru drill-downs to related bills and details.  For legislative researchers – not to mention candidates – gathering basic data has never been this easy.  Additional data visualizations are on the company’s website.

Remembering Connecticut's Vietnam Veterans

Connecticut residents can now memorialize a family member or friend who died in the Vietnam War, by responding to a national "Call for Photos" that seeks to provide the faces, stories, and remembrances of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (commonly known as “the Wall”) in Washington, DC.  To ensure that 100% of Connecticut’s fallen are remembered, the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Veterans History Project at Central Connecticut State University are working with volunteers and teachers in the state to collect photos and remembrances of Connecticut’s 612 fallen who do not yet have photos on the VVM’s Virtual Wall.  As of the end of July, photos have been collected for less than half of those killed from Connecticut. The national “Call for Photos” campaign aims to attach faces to the 58,284 names memorialized on the Wall. The Education Center will create a Wall of Faces exhibit to display all collected digital photographs once the Center is constructed.  As of late July, just two states have collected 100 percent of their photos – New Mexico and North Carolina. Nationwide, just 35 percent have been collected. Approximately 4 million people visit the Vietnam Memorial each year.

Further information about the initiative in Connecticut is available from the Veterans History Project at  CCSU, from Eileen Hurst, Associate Director of the Center for Public Policy & Social Research, at 860-832-2976.

Eastern, Middlesex Named Great Colleges to Work For

Eastern Connecticut State University and Middlesex Community College were the only Connecticut institutions included among 103 college and universities nationwide named as Great Colleges to Work For in the latest annual survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. In an article accompanying the list of institutions, The Chronicle reported that “Open channels of communication, along with concrete ways of appreciating employees and helping them balance work and home, are hallmarks of great academic workplaces. At colleges, such policies have become more important as a slow national economy delays or shrinks raises.”

The Chronicle reported that the 2012 survey had the largest number of responses in its five-year history—about 47,000 college employees completed questionnaires, up from 44,000 in 2011. About 20,000 of the questionnaires this year were filled out by faculty, 8,500 by administrators, and nearly 18,000 by exempt professional staff. In all, participants represented 294 institutions. The survey was administered by ModernThink LLC  in partnership with The Chronicle.  The colleges and universities were analyzed in 12 categories, and submitted applications to be considered  for the designation.

Middlesex CC, with just under 3,000 students, was especially recognized for its compensation and benefits, with The Chronicle stating that “Paternity and maternity leaves can be as long as six months, and health-insurance coverage extends into retirement.”  It is the first time that Middlesex has been included in The Chronicle’s list.

Eastern was recognized in three categories: collaborative governance, compensation and benefits, and facilities, workplace and security.   The Chronicle noted that “The University Senate brings together executives, midlevel managers, and professors for twice-monthly meetings during the academic year. The president meets at least twice every semester with the leaders of the six campus unions.”  Eastern was selected for the fourth consecutive year.  The school has approximately 5,600 students.

Among the 103 institutions to receive the “Great College to Work For” designation, 42 were also selected for the “Honor Roll.”  Neither Connecticut institution made that list.

Connecticut is #26 in Levels of Biking, Walking; #24 in Fatalities

There were 27 fatal bicycling accidents in Connecticut between 2005 and 2010, and the total number of biking-related crashes around the state during that five-year span was 4,276, the Hartford Advocate is reporting, citing official state data.  State officials also report that between 2005 and 2009, there were about 5,300 pedestrian-related traffic accidents in Connecticut The Tri-State Transportation Campaign recently issued an analysis of pedestrian accidents in Connecticut between 2008 and 2010 that showed there were 121 pedestrian deaths in that time frame.

The state’s Department of Transportation is beginning to respond.  The DOT announced recently that a 2.75-mile stretch of Burnside Avenue in East Hartford (part of Route 44), between Main and Mary Streets, will be redesigned to reduce the number of travel lanes for vehicles and to install bike lanes.  Much attention has been paid to the section of roadway following a series of fatal bicycle-car collisions that took the lives of three East Hartford cyclists during the past two years.  The Hartford Courant has reported that the DOT considers the plan the first of its kind in the state – a state road redesign aimed at improving bicyclist and pedestrian safety.

Earlier this year, Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, produced by the Alliance for Biking & Walking, ranked all 50 states (and the 51 largest U.S. cities) on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors.  Connecticut ranked #26 among the states in levels of bicycling and walking.  In fatalities, the state ranked #24.  Among the reports noteworthy statistics:

• Seniors are the most vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians. Adults over 65 make up 10% of walking trips, yet comprise 19% of pedestrian fatalities. This age group accounts for 6% of bicycling trips, yet 10% of bicyclist fatalities.
• Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs created per $1 million spent on highway projects. Cost benefit analysis show that up to $11.80 in benefits can be gained for every $1 invested in bicycling and walking.
• While bicycling and walking fell 66% between 1960 and 2009, obesity levels increased 156%.
• On average, the largest 51 U.S. cities show a 29% increase in bicycle facilities since the 2010 report.

All of which underscores the need to improve bicycling safety, as biking becomes more popular across the country.

Abundance of Maps and Data on CT Environmental Conditions

Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online (CT ECO) is an overflowing website providing access to data and information - the collaborative work of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) - to share environmental and natural resource information with the general public. The website makes available an enormous range of maps and tools for viewing Connecticut’s environmental and natural resources such as protected open space, farmland soils, wetland soils, aquifer protection areas, water quality classifications, and drainage basins. Each can be viewed separately or in conjunction with other environmental and natural resource information.

CT ECO's mission is to encourage, support, and promote informed land use and development decisions in Connecticut by providing local, state and federal agencies, and the general public with convenient access to the most up-to-date and complete natural resource information available statewide.

Among the dozen agencies providing data are the Connecticut Departments of Public Safety, Transportation and Office of Policy and Management, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Geological Survey.

If you’re interested in any of the maps or information – including maps of every town in the state – it is worth a look.  And even if you’re not, it’s worth a look just to see the volume of information that is available.  For those interested in staying up-to-date on any changes to the site, that is only an email away.

More College Degrees Is Target for National Goal, CT Employers

According to recent projections, 67% of all jobs in Connecticut in 2020 will require a career certificate or college degree. Connecticut remains one of the more educated states in the nation, with 45.9% of its young adults having earned a college degree by 2010.  But that falls far short of the projections for employers’ needs by 2020, as well as a national goal set by President Obama of making the U.S. first in the world in the percentage of adults with college degrees – with the national target of 60 percent by 2020. Although Connecticut currently remains above the national average of 39.3%, new data from the U.S. Department of Education, reported by the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC), shows that between 2009 and 2010, the rate of young people with college degrees went down in Connecticut and 15 other states, while nationwide the number increased slightly.

For Connecticut to reach the national goal, as well as the projected needs of employers, the state’s public and private institutions will need to increase the percentage of Connecticut residents earning degrees.  CCIC reports that independent colleges and universities award nearly half of Connecticut’s bachelor’s degrees and Connecticut residents make up 30% of first-year, full-time undergraduate student body.  Among public institutions, the newly merged ConnSCU system (12 community college and 4 universities) has the largest number of undergraduate students, followed by the University of Connecticut, including its branch campuses.

Public Health Data Becomes Compelling Poster Series at Capitol

Students from the Yale School of Public Health collaborated with colleagues at the School of Art to develop original public health posters – using graphic design and stark statistics to focus on a number of critical public health challenges. The posters created through this unique collaborative effort are on display at the State Capitol’s lower concourse adjacent to the Legislative Office Building, arranged by the Connecticut Office of Health Reform and Innovation. A total of 28 students (14 pairs) participated in the inaugural project, which seeks to provoke awareness, stimulate thought and change behavior through the use of visually powerful posters to educate and motivate broad sectors of society about some of today’s pressing health issues, such as obesity, breast cancer screening, self-respect and child development.

Among the statistics and information highlighted in the posters:

• The increase in size of food portions between 1982 and 2012 (5x larger)
• The difference in breast cancer survival rates with early detection (30% vs. 97%)
• Food alternatives to daily for lactose intolerant individuals
• 80% of blindness is preventable

The idea for “The Art of Public Health” was conceived a year ago, according to the Yale News, at the conclusion of a course taught at the Yale School of Public Health by assistant professor Catherine Yeckel. She challenged the class to apply and translate theoretical scientific knowledge into a public health campaign to educate the public on a specific health topic.

The student teams met for one-on-one sessions together and with faculty mentors throughout the academic year, during which they discussed their particular health issue and how it might be captured and represented visually. Julian Bittiner, a critic in the Department of Graphic Design at the Yale School of Art, guided the visual communication process.

“The Art of Public Health” may go on tour following the State Capitol exhibition in Hartford, which followed a similar exhibition on the Yale campus in New Haven earlier this year.

Promoting Development of Teachers and Students in STEM

Demos, a New York-based policy and advocacy organization, and The New York Academy of Sciences have concluded a study suggesting solutions to one of the most often-cited reasons for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) achievement gap - a lack of skilled and trained teachers in the STEM fields. The greatest percentage of under-qualified teachers at the K-12 level is found in STEM disciplines – 40 percent of high school math teachers and 20 percent of science teachers in high needs areas lack a higher education degree in the subject they instruct.  The recruitment of highly qualified teachers into the STEM teaching workforce has received a tremendous amount of attention in the past few years – perhaps driven by the fact that math and science teacher turnover has increased by 33 percent over the past two decades.

California

The report discusses what teachers, administrators, educational leaders and interested citizens can do to improve teacher retention by encouraging and improving opportunities for collaboration, support, respect, openness, and commitment to student achievement and professional development within schools.  The report highlights Professional Learning Communities (PLC). A three-year longitudinal study of more than 300 teachers who participated in PLCs as part of the California Science Project Teacher Retention Initiative found that “Relevance of professional development, perceived classroom effectiveness, and identifying as part of a CSP-TRI professional learning community” were all predictors of classroom retention.

Connecticut

Earlier this year, Connecticut Public Radio’s program Where We Live focused a week-long series on STEM education in Connecticut, promoted this way:  “Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM): Connecticut’s strengths? Many of the state’s employers don’t think so anymore.”  In Connecticut,  an estimated 1,000 manufacturing jobs remain unfilled because applicants lack the skills they need.   Many middle and high school students seem to lose interest in studying STEM subjects.  The Alliance for Science and Technology in America reports that Connecticut will need to fill 232,000 STEM jobs by 2018.

Federal Support

Earlier this year, at the second annual White House Science Fair, President Obama announced a new $80 million Department of Education competition to support STEM teacher preparation programs. The investment will support innovative programs, such as those that allow prospective teachers to simultaneously earn a STEM degree and a teaching certificate. Another $22 million from philanthropic and private sources, including the Carnegie Foundation, Google and Dell, will complement the administration's STEM effort.

"Civics First" to Honor School Champions in Trial, Debate

If you're a fan of civic education, particularly in Connecticut, May 31 will be a special day.  That is when the organization Civics First conducts its annual awards dinner, and recognizes  this year's stellar teams and individuals in various competitions sponsored by the organization.  Among this year's champions:

• Crosby High School, 2012 High School Mock Trial State Champion
• Kennedy High School students Shyler Losty, Arlee Biggins, and Anxheliki Duro, 2012 High School Forensics Competition champions
• Academy at Little Farm students Genevieve Riccoboni and Hannah Hunt, 2012 High School Debate State Champions

The Middle School Debate final rounds were held yesterday, with the winners (Our Lady of Mercy) to be honored as well.   The Awards recognition dinner will take place My 31 at 30 Bank Street, New Britain at 6 p.m.

Civics First is a private, non-profit association that promotes and conducts law-related education programs and projects in Connecticut's public and private schools, courtrooms and communities. Its goal is the incorporation of citizenship education into the curriculum of all schools, from kindergarten through high school.

Wondering about the civic health of Connecticut?  Check out the latest data from the Corporation for National & Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship about Connecticut, now on the Civic Life in America website.  Among the data:  45.9 percent of residents in Connecticut voted in the 2010 National election - ranking them at number 19 among the 50 states and Washington, DC.

Teacher Appreciation Week Arrives; Negotiations Continue

As the Connecticut General Assembly and Malloy Administration grapple with education reform in an effort to forge a compromise package  prior to the end of the regular legislative session at midnight Wednesday, this week will be observed in schools throughout the state and around the country as Teacher Appreciation Week. On Tuesday, May 8, students all across America will show their appreciation by recognizing their teachers, and the impact that teachers have on their future - individually and collectively.  As the AFT Connecticut website points out, "teachers – the people who educate us and give us the vital knowledge which we need to live our lives. They encourage, support, discipline and prepare us for the road ahead and now it’s time for us to show them our appreciation."

Schools and school districts around the state are observing the annual appreciation week with a variety of activities, and a number of websites have cropped up, including a national site simply called,  thankateachertoday.org  The Students First organization is providing students and parents an opportunity to record a message to a teacher, which can be heard on their national website.