Education leaders to propose secondary school reforms

HARTFORD, Conn.—Connecticut's education commissioner says the state Board of Education is compiling a comprehensive proposal to overhaul the state's secondary schools.

Commissioner Mark McQuillan said the plan is still in the works, but will emphasize ways to improve student engagement and their performance in math and science.

McQuillan made his comments Thursday as part of his annual back-to-school message. Almost 567,000 students will return to class in the state's 166 school districts over the coming weeks.

McQuillan said education leaders also want to continue investing in preschool, reverse the causes of early reading failure, and develop better strategies to hire teachers for students who learn English as their second language.

The secondary school reform ideas are slated to be presented to Gov. M. Jodi Rell before the 2009 legislative session.