A few people have asked me about enrollment, race, and accountability data for the Hartford Public Schools. The questions have been in the context of judging the merit of a proposal by the Hartford Board of Education to close a number of schools including Batchelder, Simpson-Waverly, and Milner school. So, here you go! Each bubble … Continue reading Hartford Public Schools Enrollment, Race, and Accountability Data 2015-16 →

A common mistake is to think of racial segregation of schools and housing as a natural or normal condition. Over the last several years, renewed attention on racial segregation in housing and education largely as a result of State policy has tried to correct this mistaken idea. In common language, we think of normal as … Continue reading Racial Segregation of Schools in Connecticut is Not Normal →

At the Hartford Board of Education's regular meeting on November 21, 2017, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodríguez offered her principles and initial plans for reshaping the Hartford Public Schools. The project is entiled, "Restructuring and Reimagined Our School District." You can watch the presentation here after the public comment portion of the meeting. And you can submit … Continue reading HPS “Restructuring and Reimagining Our School District” Presentation & Feedback →

Sample Five-Year Budget for Proposed Charter School in CT   A few weeks ago, Jacquline Rabe Thomas reported that five private operators had submitted applications to CT State Board of Education (SBOE) and CT Department of Education (CSDE) to create and operate new charter schools in Connecticut. This year, the applications for new charters would … Continue reading What are charter school entrepreneurs selling in Connecticut this year? →

Yesterday, I highlighted the failing narratives that try to explain what's happening in Connecticut's cities. In proposing another narrative, I offered the Boston Federal Reserve report that analyzed the financial issues of the state's towns and cities. Here's a bit more information about that report below and you can read it yourself here. First, the … Continue reading More about the Fed’s municipal cost and spending report for CT towns and cities →

At a recent talk, my colleague Professor Davarian Baldwin, explained that the Detroit bankruptcy was interpreted by the mainstream media and whites as (paraphrasing), "blacks got control of the city and ruined it" rather than the structural strangulation of insufficient resources and revenue to run the city. The same racialized narratives operate in Hartford and … Continue reading The Failing Narratives about Connecticut Cities that Undermine Democracy and Why They Are Wrong →

Over the last few weeks, the State of Connecticut, represented by the Attorney General's Office, took another step in its effort to undermine racial desegregation of schools in Connecticut. The key part of this recent step has been to attack the specific reduced-isolation goals in the Sheff v. O'Neill case's stipulated agreement and order. Under … Continue reading Following the State’s Effort to Undermine School Desegregation in CT →

Tomorrow (6/9/2017) at 12:30 p.m., the Hartford Board of Education* will vote on the Superintendent's proposed budget with significant cuts to programs and schools. The vote will take place in the Superintendent's Conference at 960 Main Street, Hartford, CT. HPS faces uncertainty for a variety of reasons and possible cuts in State education funding, along … Continue reading Discussion on the Hartford Public Schools Budget 2017-18 →

This Saturday, June 3, 2017, the CT Puerto Rican Agenda will have its founding assembly in New Haven. I'll be participating in the workshop entitled, "The State of Bi-lingual Education in CT." In addition to this workshop, there will be plenty of other key discussions on topics that Boricuas (Puerto Ricans) face in Connecticut. (Schedule … Continue reading The state of Bi-lingual Education at the CT Puerto Rican Agenda Founding Assembly, June 3, 2017 →