Connecticut stands northeast of New York City, and is in easy reach of New York and Boston. The southwest corner of the state forms part of the New York commuter belt and has excellent transport connections. The state is served by two airports, Amtrak, Greyhound and Peter Pan buses and has good Interstate road links. The closeness to major cities make it a popular shopping and tourist destination. Continue Reading »

Auto mechanics perform alignments by lining up the direction of the wheels so the vehicle is pointed in a straight line. Curriculum alignment follows the same principle, with the “wheels” being curriculum, instruction, standards and assessment. Research indicates this kind of alignment can point a school or district toward improved student achievement.
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FOR $1, a smart shopper can get one Butterfinger candy bar, three cans of cat food or five Christmas cards. Now, Connecticut’s tourism officials have to stretch a buck for statewide marketing campaigns — over an entire year.
After two years with a budget of $4.3 million a year, the state’s Commission on Culture and Tourism has to make do this fiscal year with just $1 allocated by the legislature in September for statewide promotions. The agency will get another lonely dollar next year. Continue Reading »

ON a cold Saturday morning in February, Shawn Pelak and David Parent were at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., soon after the doors opened. But the couple, from Ann Arbor, Mich., wasn’t there to hit the books. Ms. Pelak and Mr. Parent were spending the weekend in Hartford, 45 minutes north, and after downloading a walking tour of the Yale campus from the school’s Web site, they had gotten in their car for a first-hand look. Continue Reading »