ConnCAN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ConnCAN | |
 |
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| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 429 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut, USA 85 Willow Street, New Haven, Connecticut |
| Focus | Education research and advocacy |
| Slogan | Great Schools for All |
| Website | www.conncan.org |
ConnCAN (Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now) is an American think tank and state-level education advocacy group founded in January 2005, with offices in Hartford, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut.
Its stated mission is to "bring Connecticut together to provide every child with a great public school." Its major projects include the ranking of Connecticut public schools, video profiles of successful schools, parent outreach and education, legislative advocacy in support of its Great Schools for All plan, and its annual State of Connecticut Public Education research report. In 2007 it produced a parent guidebook entitled "How to Make Sure Your Child is Not Left Behind" in partnership with the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP, Connecticut Appleseed, and the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights Under Law.
The organization produces a quarterly print newsletter called the ConnCAN Compass, a monthly e-newsletter, and a weekly news summary called the Education News Roundup. Citing statistics from the web traffic company Alexa Internet, in a January 16, 2008 news release it claimed that conncan.org was "the most visited advocacy website in Connecticut."[1]
A February 2007 review[2] by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation compared the organization's legislative agenda to that of the Delaware-based education nonprofit Vision 2015 and stated that it is "spearheaded by a large, well-credentialed Board of Directors and Advisors and is clearly serious about school reform." Senior staff include Alex Johnston (executive director), Ronald Jarrett (community and government relations), Marc Porter Magee (communications and research), and Lisa Whitfield (operations).
Among the 48 board and advisory board members are Richard C. Levin, president of Yale University, Allan Taylor, chair of the Connecticut State Board of Education, Tom Vander Ark, president of the X PRIZE Foundation, and Ron Howard, Co-Chairman of Imagine Entertainment.
[edit] References
- ^ "National Education Leader Joins ConnCAN." ConnCAN News Release. January 16, 2008
- ^ "Great Schools for All: A Plan Big Enough to Close America's Largest Achievement Gap." The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation." February 1, 2007.
- "Waterbury schools near bottom on CAPT scores" Republican-American. February 27, 2008.
- "Report: Achievement gap closing in some Stamford, Norwalk schools" The Advocate. November 5, 2007.
- "Owning Up to Failure." New York Times. July 1, 2007.
- "Good Alternatives to Status Quo." Republican-American. March 28, 2007.
- ConnCAN's 2006 IRS Form 990. Guidestar.com.
