Despite education reforms made this past legislative session, CT did not see its name appear on Education Secretary Arne Duncan's second-round list of finalists for the remaining $3.4 billion remaining in Race to the Top Funds.  New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island were all named finalists. Winners are not expected to be announced late August/early September.

An interesting article from the New York Times. It examines the real impact kindergarten teachers have on children as they grow into adulthood. Five researchers set out earlier this year to look more deeply into adult outcomes and used a Tennessee experiment -- Project Star -- to look at the impact kindergarten teachers and a child's peers have on the child's success as an adult. The subjects, now in their early 30s, were randomly assigned to different classrooms in the 1980s. The researchers found that students who had learned much more in kindergarten were more likely to go to college than students with otherwise similar backgrounds. They were also less likely to become single parents and more likely to save for retirement. All else equal, they found that kindergarten teachers have a significant impact on our economic success as adults. 

Diane Orson covered a public hearing held by Senator Dodd in New Haven on July 26 that brought together nine witnesses to discuss early intervention programs that work for children. Dodd is hosting three of these hearings -- one in CT and two in Washington. They conclude on July 29.

This is a podcast, featuring Gerrit Westervelt, director of the Build Initiative.