July 07, 2020

Extend Black and Latino History Curriculum Throughout K-12 Education in CT? That May Be Next Step

July 07, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Connecticut is in the midst of developing a statewide model curriculum for a year-long high school level course on Black and Latino history. It is to be made available to students beginning as soon as next year. But even as that effort proceeds, some are suggesting that it won’t be enough.The thinking is that aspects of Black and Latino history should be incorporated into the curriculum beginning at the elementary school level. If Connecticut’s legislature enacts such a requirement, it would not be the first state to do so.

July 06, 2020

Connecticut Proceeding Full Steam Ahead in Building First Statewide Curriculum on Black and Latino History

July 06, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

With input from across the state, Connecticut’s new curriculum for a year-long high school course in African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino studies is already taking shape, in accordance with a new law – Public Act 19-12 - passed by the state legislature. The 150-member Advisory Committee involved in its development meets again later this month.

July 05, 2020

CT Will Have a High School Curriculum on Black and Latino History; It’s the Law

July 05, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Testimony last March from hundreds of supporters helped to pass a law that launched development, now underway, of a high school course focused on Black and Latino history. Said one state resident, 16 months ago: “We can’t begin to heal and move forward as a country until we have done the profoundly important work of reckoning with our past and learning our history. People’s lives, my son’s life, literally depends on it.”

June 28, 2020

Sikorsky to Receive CT Medal of Technology, Connecticut Science Center’s Fleury Honored, 36 New Members Elected to Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering

June 28, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, is the 2020 recipient of the Connecticut Medal of Technology in recognition of X2 Technology, a generational leap in rotary wing innovation that enables helicopters to complete tasks traditional helicopters can’t today. Matt Fleury, CEO of the Connecticut Science Center, is selected as an Honorary Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and 36 new members of the Academy are elected.

June 25, 2020

Hartford Wins 2020 Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award, Recognizing Comprehensive Zoning Code Rewrite

June 25, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Hartford and Rancho Cucamonga (California) have been selected as the winners of the 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award, presented by the Form-Based Codes Institute at Smart Growth America. Each year, the Driehaus Award recognizes communities that have adopted and implemented exemplary form-based zoning codes.

June 22, 2020

Bi-Partisan Report Urges Reinventing of American Democracy; 31 Recommendations Would Advance Change Urgently Needed

June 22, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

The release this month of a comprehensive report and recommendations by a bipartisan commission, convened by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, outlines 31 steps to strengthen America's institutions and civic culture to help a nation in crisis emerge with a more resilient democracy. And Connecticut voices were prominent in its development.

June 16, 2020

Racism is a Public Health Emergency: State Senator Urges CT to be 1st State to Issue Declaration

June 16, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

“Racism is absolutely a public health issue and a threat to health,” said Patricia Baker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “Racism is an underlying cause of the many racial and ethnic health disparities that exist in Connecticut.” State Senator Saud Anwar is urging Gov. Lamont to declare racism as a public health emergency, citing data that makes the case. CT would be the first state to do so.

June 14, 2020

Malloy, Ojakian Seek to Make One Higher Ed Institution From Many - in Maine and Connecticut

June 14, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Maine and Connecticut have something in common - education leaders seeking to merge seven, and twelve, higher education institutions respectively into a single accredited institution. The leaders driving the plans in the two New England states both spent some time working together at Connecticut’s State Capitol, at the helm of government in the Land of Steady Habits.

June 02, 2020

American Heart Association First-Ever Statement on Children’s Healthy Eating Supports UConn Center Research

June 02, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

How children are fed may be just as important as what they are fed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. The formal statement is the first ever from the Association focused on providing evidence-based strategies for parents and caregivers to create a healthy food environment for young children, and very much in line with ongoing research by the Rudd Center at UConn.

May 20, 2020

No SAT Score? No Problem! - UConn Drops Requirement for 3 Years

May 20, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

The unintended consequences of higher education’s response to a pandemic continue to reverberate, now hastening the disintegration – at least temporarily – of a staple of the college admission process. The University of Connecticut is now the latest institutions to set aside the SAT or ACT score as the dominant determinant of admission.