Data Underscores Imperative for Action on CT's At-Risk Youth

The Connecticut legislature is poised to consider legislation approved by their Education Committee to address what has been described as “Connecticut’s unspoken crisis,” the state’s 119,000 disconnected and at-risk youth and the imperative to get them back-on-track. Those young people, between the ages of 14-26, live in every town and city in Connecticut.

Responding to a steady increase in public and private sector advocacy and support for legislative action, a multi-faceted proposed bill has advanced, as additional support in voices and data reaffirms the imperative for progress on the challenging but surmountable issues involved.

House Bill 5213, An Act Concerning Disengaged Youth, has as its stated purpose to “improve school district data systems and practices to identify and support at-risk students and to establish coalitions and partnerships focused on supporting at-risk and disconnected youth.”

It has already earned a dozen co-sponsors among legislators, public support from House Democratic and Republican leaders, along with an array of organizations and individuals including the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and State Treasurer Erick Russell. The Education Committee approved the bill in March, and it now awaits action by the House of Representatives.

Among the organizations that testified in support, and are actively involved with a coalition of two dozen nonprofits coordinated by United Way of Connecticut in the Campaign for Working Connecticut, are Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), EASTCONN, Our Piece of the Pie, Compass Youth Collaborative, DOMUS Kids, and Norwalk Acts.

The proposed legislation builds in part on their impressive work and the 2024 Policy Agenda issued by the United Way coalition prior to the start of the legislative session. That agenda calls for the state to target untapped federal funds, put in place an effective shared data platform, and invest in the state’s future workforce by increasing career-based education and training, youth career navigation and social supports, and subsidized employment.

Stating that “Connecticut has no time to lose,” the agenda notes that “there is negligible dedicated funding from the state of Connecticut to support these services for disconnected youth,” adding that public investment “is essential to promote economic growth and social equity and prepare the next generation of workers for a rapidly changing job market.”

Even with multiple nonprofit organizations working with disconnected youth in various parts of Connecticut, there remain gaps where necessary support, guidance, and opportunities for youth to get back-on-track are either absent or organizational capacity is insufficient to fully meet the demand for those services.

For that reason, a comprehensive state-led approach coupled with increased financial resources promises to reach more youth, more effectively addressing the needs across the state, including helping businesses secure individuals for the thousands of Connecticut jobs that remain unfilled. Data indicates that in the absence of additional action led by the state, each year will see 10,000 young people added to the ranks of the disengaged and disconnected.

High School Students At-Risk of Not Graduating

In Connecticut, 41 towns and cities have nearly one-third or more of their high school students considered to be at-risk of not graduating high school, according to data compiled for Dalio Education by the Boston Consulting Group and recently compiled in an infographic that includes every community. That number is very nearly one-quarter of the state’s 169 municipalities.

There are eight Connecticut communities where the percentage of high school students considered at-risk of not graduating exceeds 40 percent. They include Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Somers, Waterbury, and Windham.

In addition, there are a total of 33 communities where the percentage of at-risk high school students is between 30 percent and 40 percent. Those include Bloomfield, Vernon, Manchester, East Hartford, Westbrook, East Windsor, Kent, Danbury, Windsor Locks, North Canaan, Thompson, Putnam, Killingly, Plainfield, Groton, Winchester, Torrington, Stamford, East Haven, West Haven, Stratford, Ansonia, Derby, Hamden, Meriden, Middletown, Naugatuck, Morris, Plymouth, Sprague, Norwich, Westbrook and Windsor.

In only 8 communities does the at-risk percentage fall below 10 percent of high school students: Darien, Killingworth, Madison, New Canaan, Weston, Westport, Wilton and Woodbridge.

The legislature’s 2024 session is slated to adjourn on Wednesday, May 8.