“I have worked hard to be a leader with the knowledge, skills and disposition to meet the complex issues of schools today. In my role as the instructional leader at the district level, I hold firm to my vision and conviction to lead this high performing school district that embraces the belief set that all students deserve an equitable educational experience,” said Erin Murray, assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning for Simsbury Public Schools.

“The children they serve, have simply never been given a fair shot at obtaining the resources needed to achieve the common outcome goals with their peers in the surrounding districts. As these districts have become increasingly Latinx, they have become even less able to meet their students’ needs and compete with neighboring districts for high-quality teachers and staff, “ wrote Baker and Robert Cotto, Jr., a Ph.D. student at UConn’s Neag School of Education and former school board member in Hartford.

Rebecca Aldred, a co-assistant principal at Ellington High School, is the new principal of Windsor Locks High School, Superintendent of Schools Shawn Parkhurst announced. The Board of Education approved the hiring at a meeting Thursday. Aldred is slated to begin the job July 1.

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI), a premier provider of education services for K-12 students who face challenges that prevent them from being successful in a traditional classroom, today announced the appointment of Diane Myers, Ph.D. to senior vice president, special education-behavior. In this role, Myers is responsible for leading the company’s pedagogical approach to behavior practices.

King Philip Principal Joy Wright has been named “Middle School Principal of the Year” for 2020 by the Connecticut Association of Superintendents (CAS), selected from among all of the middle schools in the state.

Our hearts ache. George Floyd’s life matters. Breonna Taylor’s life matters. Ahmaud Arbery’s life matters. Black lives matter.

We are reaching out to share resources that we believe might be helpful as you reflect on the current and ongoing racism in our country. We hope that these resources will help you reflect on and process the current moment. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, as there are so many dynamics, so many theories, so many histories to grasp in order to do our work of understanding anti-racism. We hope it will, though, provide a place for you to start or some new directions to go. As you find useful resources, please continue to share and learn together.

“I urge white Americans to reflect on their intentions for allying with #BlackLivesMatter. I hope that we all understand that supporting black Americans is the right intention. That means doing a lot more than posting on social media,” writes Jack Kitching, a Neag School alumnus and high school social studies teacher in Hartford.

”We need to get ahead of this crisis to survive and thrive together. It is time to provide alternate options in education preparation so we can continue to prepare high-quality leaders and teachers within this ‘new normal,‘” says Patricia Virella.

The 5l-year-old CEO of sister com­panies Sound Manufacturing and Mon­ster Power Equipment in Old Saybrook, Kellie-Marie Vallieres, took over the family business from her father in 2006. She never planned to run the company, but when earning her Ph.D. in adult experiential learning at UConn she did a class project on Sound Manufacturing, which makes precision sheet metals for a variety of industries – landscaping, telecommunications, industrial, automotive, etc.