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?
Category: Cities, Suburbs, and Schools
Past writing from the CSS site.
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.
Quality Integrated Education – Next Steps for School Desegregation in Hartford, CT
Here is a summary of steps I would take moving forward on school desegregation in CT. This is based on my reading of history and research in schools and communities now. These are some ideas of how we can build on the historic investment in racially diverse schools in Hartford, CT area prompted by the … Continue reading Quality Integrated Education – Next Steps for School Desegregation in Hartford, CT
Recap of Moral Monday CT Event on (Ideology of) White Supremacy in Education & Upcoming Sheff Event (11/17)
Yesterday, Moral Monday CT convened a discussion that examined the ideology of white supremacy in education at the Trinity College Liberal Arts Action Lab in downtown Hartford. Put simply, panelists and attendees critiqued the pervasive belief that white people are superior and should dominate all aspects of society. Panelists included Richard de Meij, a Hartford … Continue reading Recap of Moral Monday CT Event on (Ideology of) White Supremacy in Education & Upcoming Sheff Event (11/17)
Protected: Examining the Racial Composition of Hartford Area Magnet Schools: When Facts Get in the Way of Good Story
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
What is the Robinson et al case and why do its supporters want to end school desegregation and civil rights policies in Connecticut?
Source: Sheff plaintiffs memo, 2018. Over the last few days, I have discussed a number of aspects of the State of Connecticut's efforts to racially desegregate schools. In short, the State uses voluntary school choice programs, such as magnet schools to create racially diverse educational settings. But over the past several years, a number of … Continue reading What is the Robinson et al case and why do its supporters want to end school desegregation and civil rights policies in Connecticut?
How does the State of CT define a racially diverse school for the purpose of school desegregation? And what’s the confusion?
Source: Sheff memo to intervene in Robinson v. Wentzell case, 2018. Yesterday, I provided some background on the Sheff v. O'Neill case and an introduction to how the race-blind regional school choice lottery works in the Hartford, CT region. Today, I'll focus in on the definition that the Connecticut Court uses to determine whether … Continue reading How does the State of CT define a racially diverse school for the purpose of school desegregation? And what’s the confusion?
How does Connecticut’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) lottery work for placement into interdistrict magnet schools and Open Choice? A brief introduction
Over the last several years, school desegregation as a result of the Sheff v. O'Neill case in Connecticut has been under attack from a variety of corners. In particular, the race-blind Regional School Choice (RSCO) lottery used to assign students to interdistrict magnet school and the Open Choice program has come under attack. So how … Continue reading How does Connecticut’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) lottery work for placement into interdistrict magnet schools and Open Choice? A brief introduction
Broadening the Discussion About Enrollment in Hartford Region Magnet Schools: What is going on with state funding of magnet schools?
Connecticut Governor's Proposed Budget for 2018 & 2019 Source: CT Office of Policy and Management, 2017. Over the last several months, there has been an organized campaign to undermine school desegregation in Connecticut. Most recently, a lawsuit has been launched challenging desegregation standards used for enrollment in Connecticut's magnet schools. While some of the debate … Continue reading Broadening the Discussion About Enrollment in Hartford Region Magnet Schools: What is going on with state funding of magnet schools?
Learning from the City 