Before joining CT Insider, Tiernan worked on his family’s farm in Connecticut. And before that, he spent six years at papers out West. He’s covered every beat at one time or another. Tiernan is conversationally fluent in Spanish, a tenacious defender in pick-up basketball and a mediocre-but-passionate wildlife photographer.
Beat: Reporter covering inequities in education
The “achievement gap” that separates students in urban communities from other students remains the most intractable problem facing Connecticut schools – and schools in many other states. The beat would take a fresh, focused look at the historical socio-economic reasons for the gap, past attempts to address it, potential solutions, and what it would take to change. It would use data to explain the challenges in both education and high school sports.