Author: Ashley Ardinger

School Choice –> Interdistrict –> MAGNET SCHOOLS

Posted on Author Ashley Ardinger and Courtney Chaloff

Magnet Schools1

Magnet Schools are another approach within the inter-district path. However, Magnet schools are different from Charter Schools, “in that they remain part of the public school system bureaucratically. Charter Schools have a different organizational model (i.e. they have a charter that releases them from the regular school administration). Magnet schools operate under the same public school administration (they don’t operate on their own).” 2

The hope of Magnet Schools is to attract students from all over to create diverse learning spaces. Accord to Magnet Schools of America, the mission of these schools is to, “provide leadership for innovative instructional programs that promote equity, diversity, and academic excellence for all students in public school choice programs.”  Often Magnet Schools pride themselves on smaller class size and thematic curriculums.
Hartford has two types of Magnet Schools: Host and CREC. Host Magnet Schools are run by the Hartford Public School System and CREC, the Capitol Region Education Council.
Regardless of which type of Magnet School, there is an application process beginning in mid-October. Before applying, it is important for a parent to explore the different magnet schools3 because many of them have focused “themes.” Any resident of Connecticut can apply to a Magnet School. All families apply by filling out a Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) common application and will rank their top five school choices. Then through a lottery system and taking into consideration Sheff school integration requirements, students are placed in schools. In addition, “The selection is based on 50% Hartford enrollment and 50% Greater Hartford (suburban) enrollment”4 Research5 on these Magnet Schools has shown great benefits for students from Hartford and the suburbs.

  1. “Magnet Education of Greater Hartford”, 2011, http://magneteducation.org/. ↩
  2. “Magnet Education of Greater Hartford”, 2011, http://magneteducation.org/. ↩
  3. “Magnet Education of Greater Hartford, 2011, http://magneteducation.org/virtual-tours. ↩
  4. “Magnet Education of Greater Hartford”, 2011, http://magneteducation.org/. ↩
  5. Robert Frahm, “$2 billion later, do magnet schools help kids learn?,” The CT Mirror (Connecticut, January 25, 2010), http://www.magnet.edu/uploads/File/$2%20billion%20later,%20do%20magnet%20schools%20help%20kids%20learn_.pdf. ↩

School Choice –> Interdistrict –> CHARTER SCHOOLS

Posted on Author Ashley Ardinger and Courtney Chaloff

Charter Schools1

As one of the options within the Interdistrict school track, charter schools are public, non-profit school systems that are not run by the “local or regional board of education.”2 Charter schools are giving students better options to attend public schools with independence from the individual area school boards.  Also, similar to the magnet schools and open choice program in the area, Charter schools want to decrease racial, ethnic, and cultural separation in Hartford public schools.  Charter schools also aim to provide new and creative ways of educating students.  The Connecticut State Department of Education has a brochure3 that includes some frequently asked questions regarding charter schools, as well as a comprehensive list of all of the charter schools in the area.
Charter school choice has the same application and lottery process as Open Choice does.  The family fills out an application for the student who wishes to attend a Hartford charter school, and they are placed in a lottery.  If the student’s number is chosen, they are able to choose which charter school they wish to go to.  If their number is not called, parents must fill out a new application for the next school year and try again. The application for the Charter schools4 is a much larger document with step-by-step instructions of how to follow the process.
The Charter schools have some limitations with applicant numbers that could potentially affect whether or not a student gets into the lottery.  For example, “No state charter school may enroll more than 250 students or 25 percent of the enrollment of the school district in which the state charter school is to be located, whichever is less, except in the case of a kindergarten to eighth-grade school, which may enroll up to 300 students.”5 According to this same document, transportation is provided to students by the local district’s board of education.  For example, if a student lives in Avon but applies to a Charter school in Hartford, the Hartford public school district is responsible for busing that student to and from school everyday at no cost to the family.  The Charter schools are a great choice for families and students who are looking to achieve a new and more independent outlook on teaching and education.

  1. “SDE: Charter Schools,” Connecticut State Department of Education, 2011, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2681&q=320438. ↩
  2. “SDE: Charter Schools,” Connecticut State Department of Education, 2011, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2681&q=320438. ↩
  3. “Choose Success! Public School Choice for Students and Their Families” (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2012 2011), www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/equity/choice/public_school_choice_2011.pdf. ↩
  4. Mark McQuillan, “Application Packet for the Development of State and Local Charter Schools” (Connecticut State Department of Education Office of the Commissioner Hartford, 2011), www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/rfp/RFP020_charter_school_application_10.pdf. ↩
  5. “SDE: Charter Schools,” Connecticut State Department of Education, 2011, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2681&q=320438. ↩

School Choice –> Interdistrict –> OPEN CHOICE

Posted on Author Ashley Ardinger and Courtney Chaloff

Open Choice1
This part of the choice program in Hartford focuses specifically on racially integrating schools in the city of Hartford as well as the suburbs.  To begin research on the way Open Choice works in Connecticut, the brochure that the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) offers2 helps parents start the application process.
The way it works is that for no extra cost to the families, students have the ability to go to a city public school in Hartford if they live in the suburbs, and students that live in the city are able to go to suburban public schools as well.  Transportation is available to get the students to a location that is generally further away from their homes than their local school, and the program has been successful in providing opportunities for participating students to continue on to four-year colleges.  All children in the Hartford Public School district are able to take advantage of the Open Choice program; “currently,over 1,300 Hartford Open Choice students attend school in 28 suburban districts.”
If you are a parent living in a Hartford suburb and you want your child to attend one of the many Hartford Public schools within the city, you need to download the application form3 and fill it out according to where you live, and where you want your child to go to school.  Once the application is completed, it can be submitted to the RSCO and the student’s name is placed in a lottery.  If their lottery number is chosen, the student will have their choice of public schools in the city and suburbs of Hartford.  If the student is not chosen, they will be placed on a wait list until room opens up.  If the student’s lottery number is not chosen, the RSCO urges families to re-apply to the Open Choice program every year.

  1. “Regional School Choice Office for the Greater Hartford Region,” CT State Department of Education, 2011, http://www.choiceeducation.org/hartford-region-open-choice-program. ↩
  2. “Open Choice: Knowledge Through Diversity” (Greater Hartford Regional School Choice Office, 2010), www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/rsco/Choice_Brochure_English.pdf. ↩
  3. “RSCO Lottery Paper Application” (Greater Hartford Regional School Choice Office, 2011), www.choiceeducation.org/javascript/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/RSCOLotteryApp2012-13_English.pdf. ↩

Exercise 6 Ashley Ardinger

Posted on Author Ashley Ardinger
Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library

In this image, a young Puerto Rican student works on her assignment in a Hartford classroom in 1957.  Seen behind her are other students of various different ethnicities working on the same work.

The video within this comment follows the history of two young women who were involved as Plaintiffs in the historic Sheff vs. O’Neill lawsuit of 1989.  The two women, Wildaliz and Eva Bermudez, were supported by their entire family in 1989 when they were only five or so years old.  In the oral interview the women discuss their earliest memories of being involved in the case, being involved in outdoor picnics trying to raise awareness for the cause.  They also discuss how the case has followed them throughout their lives into college.  One woman shared how she was in a class at the University of Hartford and her professor said they would be discussing the Sheff vs O’Neill case.  She had to raise her hand and make sure he knew that she had first-hand experience.

Source: Bermudez, Wildaliz and Eva. Oral history interview on Sheff v. O’Neill school desegregation by Anique Thompson for the Cities, Suburbs, and Schools Project, June 30, 2011. Available from the Trinity College Digital Repository, Hartford Connecticut (http://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cssp/).

Both the oral interview and the photo are connected because they are focused on Puerto Rican students in Hartford.  All students, as a US right, have the access to a free public education, and the Sheff vs. O’Neill case brought that idea into focus.  This photo also revisits this fundamental right because it shows a young Puerto Rican girl being involved in a classroom with other students of other ethnicities and backgrounds.  The dates are very far apart, which is an interesting point seeing as the Sheff vs. O’Neill case wasn’t brought into court until 1989, and this photo was taken in 1957 in Hartford.