Connecticut
Opinion: Do the math: CT’s investment in tutoring adds up
January unleashed a torrent of bad news for American public education. The release of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores revealed concerning drops in reading and math performance, particularly for low-achieving students.
Policymakers sounded alarms after Washington announced the proposed elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. Meanwhile, the specter of immigration officers patrolling school campuses sent state and district leaders scrambling.
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Amid these national setbacks, Connecticut is charting a different course, one that invests in proven strategies rather than retreating from them.
In his biennium budget, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a $5 million investment in the state’s high-dosage tutoring (HDT) program, beginning FY 2027. This represents a pragmatic and indispensable investment in our students, all of whom deserve personalized learning opportunities, differentiated supports, and above all, dedicated educators. The Connecticut General Assembly should embrace and build upon this proposal wholeheartedly.
Until recently, I worked at the Connecticut State Department of Education, where I led a small team that launched Connecticut’s first statewide mathematics High-Dosage Tutoring Program in over 40 districts in 2023. Like the rest of the country, our state experienced math performance declines after the pandemic, undermining the state’s future STEM workforce and setting us back years of progress. Wealthier families turned to private tutors to compensate for lost learning time, widening achievement gaps between high-need and affluent students. Ensuring all students graduate with strong math skills wasn’t just an urgent imperative— it was a moral obligation.
Research shows when implemented with fidelity, high-dosage tutoring during school hours delivers outsized learning gains for students. Indeed, middle-school students participating in the Connecticut HDT Program experienced increases in math proficiency rates in 2024 and over 85 percent of educators rated the program as highly or slightly effective in improving math confidence, achievement, and engagement.
One superintendent of an HDT middle school claimed “in my experience of 45 years in education, [HDT] is one of the best interventions I have seen work.” By the end of the experience, many schools reported non-HDT students asking for tutoring after seeing their peers enjoy the experience.
But the benefits of HDT extend beyond test scores – it also plays a crucial role in engagement and attendance. Research from Washington D.C.’s tutoring program showed that HDT led to increases in school attendance. Building a connection with a tutor through frequent, small-group sessions can motivate students to attend school consistently, engage in productive struggle, and take more risks. Indeed, one Connecticut HDT district leader reported that “HDT improved overall math culture in our classrooms. Reluctant learners with lower confidence were supported in becoming active participants and leaders.”
While Connecticut did a lot right with its program, we also saw what doesn’t work. Tutoring offered virtually in after-school settings leads to significant underusage (over 90 percent of Connecticut districts offered tutoring in person during the school day). But that doesn’t mean technology has no role in tutoring. Indeed, rapid advancements in education technology like AI platforms cannot completely replace a human tutor, but when paired with less-experienced tutors, they can augment instruction.
Second, strong leadership is critical for effective implementation. Like most educational programs, good intentions and well-designed plans count for very little if there isn’t strong execution of them from school leadership. Finally, developing tutor talent is critical. Not everyone can be an excellent tutor on day one, but through intentional, ongoing professional development, average tutors today can become superior tomorrow.
With this additional allotment in the governor’s budget, Connecticut can continue developing HDT proof points in districts across the state. And it couldn’t come at a more urgent time. Connecticut’s NAEP scores didn’t show significant declines in student performance, but we are still behind pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, heightened public awareness around Connecticut’s disconnected youth crisis and ongoing trepidation around federal funding cuts only make smart investments in programs like HDT more necessary. We won’t reach perfect with this budget, but we can make schools better with it, and in our world of public education, better is good.
In today’s complex political landscape, state and local government remain our strongest hope for ensuring we do right by students. Connecticut received $1.1 billion in COVID-19 funding under President Biden, allowing us to innovate and design programs that didn’t just address problems created by the pandemic, but also those that existed before. And today, we are wiser for it.
By marshaling our resources, leadership, and unwavering dedication to students, Connecticut can build upon the progress of high-dosage tutoring, ensuring it delivers on the promise of providing a world-class education to Connecticut students, and setting a new standard for educational excellence in schools.
John Scianimanico is the former Director of Special Projects for the Connecticut State Department of Education.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.
The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.
The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.
Cost Breakdown
Coventry: $2 million
Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Guilford: $2 million
The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.
Ledyard: $2 million
The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.
Mansfield: $2.2 million
Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.
Thomaston: $2.5 million
Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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