Does Money Buy SAT Scores In Connecticut?

Students in towns that spend more money on education also tend to have higher average scores on the SAT, according to an analysis of 2009-10 data from the Connecticut Education Data and Research database. The average SAT score in Connecticut for the class of 2010 was 1,513.50, out of a possible 2,400. The average total expenditure per pupil was $14,031. Based on a random sample of municipalities across Connecticut, towns that spent more than the average total expenditure per pupil also scored higher than the Connecticut average for SAT scores, while towns that spent below $14,031 for each student had SAT scores below the state average. Greenwich spent $18,023 per pupil in the year 2010, considerably more than the total average.

Profile: Alonzo Left The Streets For Scouting

Two years ago, Alonzo Erskine of New Haven was facing peer pressure to get involved with drugs and alcohol. Now 16, he knew he needed to clean up his life. He found a path to a new life in the Boy Scouts. When Erskine was in middle school, he was part of his school’s football team.  His coach, who was also a Boy Scout leader, asked him one day if he was interested in joining the scouts. Erskine said yes.