August 21, 2012
REP. ROJAS PRAISES MALLOY, PRYOR
FOR SUPPORTING READING INTERVENTION
Rep. Jason Rojas, a leading advocate for reforming Connecticut’s educational system, hailed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s announcement Tuesday that five elementary schools, including Anna E. Norris Elementary in East Hartford, have been selected to pilot an intensive new reading intervention program for students in kindergarten through grade three.
The K-3 Literacy Initiative was part of legislation Rojas developed and co-sponsored as a key member of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. The initiative became a part of the larger education reform package approved with bipartisan support in the legislature and signed into law by Malloy.
“I am very proud and excited to see that one my hometown schools have been selected for these critical resources and interventions,” Rojas said. “Along with my colleagues on the Caucus and the Commission on Children, I spent eight months working on this legislation, taking best practices from around the country and creating a comprehensive approach to all the important lessons of literacy and reading fundamentals.”
“Literacy in the early years is key to learning over a lifetime and it’s essential that all of our kids and teachers have the support they deserve to ensure that our children are learning to read early in life so that they can read to learn in later years,” Rojas said.
“Governor Malloy, Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and his staff at the state Department of Education were all critical to developing the final language and dedicating the dollars to fund this initiative. The next step will be to make sure that implementation is done correctly so that our kids and schools can benefit from the additional resources,” he said.
“This is a great day for the families at Norris and I wish them success in reaching their goals,” Rojas said.
As mandated by the new education reform law, elementary schools from the ten education reform districts were eligible to apply for the K-3 Literacy Initiative pilot. Selections were made following a competitive application process that included school-site interviews.
The schools are: