Achievement Gap Task Force Testimony

CHDI's Jeff Vanderploeg and Jeana Bracey testified on Jan. 9, 2012 before the state's Achievement Gap Task Force, co-chaired by state Senator Toni Harp and Hanover Elementary School principal Miguel Cardona (Meriden, CT). They addressed two aspects of CHDI's work with direct implications for addressing Connecticut's achievement gap:

• The need to address the healthy development of children in their earliest years, beginning at birth;
• Ameliorating school-based arrests by addressing the mental health needs of children within the middle and high school settings through the School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI). 

See sidebar to view the testimony, news release and issue brief on this topic. Click here to see a video of the testimony.