ConnCAN Success Stories: Brookside Elementary School, Norwalk, CT

Brookside Elementary School, Norwalk, CT by Rabbit Ears Media

This is the first installment of a project for the organization ConnCAN - Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now. They are "A statewide outreach, education, and research organization with an active member network of parents, teachers, students, and business and community leaders across Connecticut." Their Success Stories videos (which I'm working on) promotes "some of our nation’s high-performing urban public schools" here in Connecticut.

A little more about ConnCAN from their website, their mission is

to close Connecticut’s academic achievement gap, the largest gap between rich and poor students of any public school system in the nation. We will not rest until every child in our state, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, has access to a great public school.

* The achievement gap is the most urgent social and economic problem facing Connecticut. The time for change is now.
* All children, regardless of their background, can achieve at a high level when given access to a great public school.
* Securing “Great Schools for All” will require reforming the way our public schools work by raising standards, giving school leaders greater freedom to innovate, and providing parents with more public school choices.
* Every child wins when parents can choose among public schools where principals and teachers come together to pursue a shared vision of excellence while being held accountable for results.

It has been quite an experience to work on this project for ConnCAN, both in learning about Connecticut's educational institutions as well as being further educated in production. Again, check out their site, www.conncan.org, and the Success Stories from the last few years to learn more about their work and how to improve the achievement gap in CT.