Connecticut: The State and Its Educational System.

Connecticut is small, densely populated, and very urban; its residents are typically well educated and wealthy. The state's diverse economy allows it to ride through recessions with ease. Housing costs are so high, though, that some of the benefits of the high income levels are negated. The state's population is the fourth oldest in the nation mainly due to the small number of children. Moreover, the fastest growing portion of the population is made up of people over 85, which could force future trade-offs between programs for children and those for senior citizens unless some action is taken now. Connecticut's youth population has declined sharply for a decade, but a turnaround has already begun in the early elementary grades. The state has a diverse and flexible educational system from kindergarten through graduate school, but it is not coordinated in a particularly effective way. The higher education system seems to be meeting the needs of Connecticut's citizens. Some encouraging recent developments suggest increasing articulation and collaboration across the educational segments in the state. Additionally, promising starts have been made on cooperation among business, public schools, and higher education, as well as on the state's minority advancement program. (22 references) (KM)