A Latina mother's reflection on the meeting with past mayor Bronin to ask him to stop closure of her child's school: "The day we had the meeting with him we all felt like he HEARD what we were saying but he wasn’t LISTENING to us. He knew what we wanted and what we were fighting … Continue reading Latina Mother Reflects on Past Hartford Mayor’s Non-Response to Call to Stop Her Child’s School Closure
Who is responsible for school closures in Hartford, Connecticut? Teachers blamed the mayor in 2018.
In my recent article, I showed how families, teachers, and students framed school closures in redeveloping Hartford, CT. Stakeholders diagnosed the problem as a school closure that would split a community or take away a school from a deserving group. But who or what was responsible? In 2018, some teachers argued Hartford's mayor was to … Continue reading Who is responsible for school closures in Hartford, Connecticut? Teachers blamed the mayor in 2018.
Analyzing Impact of Past School Closures in Hartford with the AFT/HFT Teacher Leaders Program
Last Saturday I presented a talk at the AFT/HFT Teacher Leaders Program here in Hartford, CT. The focus of my talk was the analysis from my recent peer-reviewed article, Framing of Black and Latinx School Closure in Redeveloping Hartford, Connecticut. It was great to share the paper findings and broader analysis of how school closures in Hartford, CT … Continue reading Analyzing Impact of Past School Closures in Hartford with the AFT/HFT Teacher Leaders Program
From Hartford to Providence: A Five-Year to Twenty-Year Agreement for A Semi-Private Charter School to Use A Closed Public School Building?
Over the last year, families, educators, and responsive political leaders have questioned school closures happening in Providence, Rhode Island. One of the key issues of these school closures is the way that closed public school buildings have been taken and then given to semi-private charter schools. Today the city council is grappling with this exact … Continue reading From Hartford to Providence: A Five-Year to Twenty-Year Agreement for A Semi-Private Charter School to Use A Closed Public School Building?
Unanswered Questions On New Charter Schools in CT: Case of Capital Prep Schools, Inc. – Part 3
Several weeks ago, community advocates held a meeting online to share concerns about a proposal to start a semi-private charter school in Middletown. Most people in this group had major concerns about the negative impact of a new charter school managed by a private company. Many issues emerged such as the possible use of a … Continue reading Unanswered Questions On New Charter Schools in CT: Case of Capital Prep Schools, Inc. – Part 3
Capitalizing on the Closure of a Latino School: The Case of Capital Prep Schools, Inc., – Part 2
The Barnard-Brown School where Capital Prep Magnet School is now located - 1304 Main St., Hartford, CT. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the proposal to make a new Capital Prep charter school in Middletown as part of a land development scheme. In order to better understand this case, it helps to understand its … Continue reading Capitalizing on the Closure of a Latino School: The Case of Capital Prep Schools, Inc., – Part 2
Seeing A Charter School Proposal As A Redevelopment Scheme: The Case of Capital Prep School, Inc.
Over the last few months, there has been debate about proposals for new semi-private charter schools in Connecticut. Recently, the State Board of Education pushed forward two new charter school proposals in Connecticut. We must revisit the merits and rethink what is behind these proposals. Analyzing the proposed Capital Prep, Inc. charter school in Middletown … Continue reading Seeing A Charter School Proposal As A Redevelopment Scheme: The Case of Capital Prep School, Inc.
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This site features writing by Robert Cotto, Jr. about the interactions between schools, families and urban development. It is not an endorsement, official policy statement, or comments by anybody other than the individual author.
Hartford City Hall 101 Workshop, Part 2: Hartford Public Schools Budget Intro
Last Saturday, I* participated in former Hartford Councilman Luis E. Cotto's** Budget Workshop entitled, Hartford City Hall 101, at the Hartford Public Library. The workshop featured an innovative "human library" approach where small groups rotated to ask questions of different experts for about 20 minutes. For this workshop, I discussed Hartford Public Schools budget and Carlos … Continue reading Hartford City Hall 101 Workshop, Part 2: Hartford Public Schools Budget Intro
Does consolidating school districts save money and lead to greater efficiency? It’s not so simple.
source: screenshot of Google Images for "Spidey Sense" Earlier this year, various proposed bills emerged at the Legislature that would require small public school districts to consolidate. While the bills have inspired a great deal of controversy, one key aspect has been left unexamined. In short, it has been simply assumed that consolidating small school … Continue reading Does consolidating school districts save money and lead to greater efficiency? It’s not so simple.
Learning from the City 