Cross of Malta Awarded to Thurgood Marshall, Philadelphia Cotillion Society, ca. 1955 - 13 of 17

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DRAFT COPY - FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY 

  

THE URBAN PARTNERSHIP PROJECT: 

DRAFT AGENDA FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND 

EXCELLENCE IN THE HARTFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

MEMBERS OF THE HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION: 

MEMBERS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: 

 



   
INTRODUCTION 

Every school day, approximately 26,000 children enter the doors of 33 public 
schools in Hartford. They come through those doors with the same 
constitutional right to learn that students across the state of Connecticut 
have, be they city, urban or suburban dwellers, be they English or other than 

English speakers, be they handicapped or non-handicapped. Yet, we know that a 
wide difference exists between educational opportunity students in Hartford 
have from students who live just a stone's throw away in a number of 
surrounding suburban communities. 

Hartford has vigorously pursued many opportunities to try various educational 
innovations. It has been involved in the last decade in programs ranging from 
ones funded in the main by corporate support, such as the School Development 
model, funded by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Travelers 
Companies, Project Bridge funded by the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and state 
drop out funds, to special federally and state funded programs such as the 
Family Resourcé Center, Even Start Project, the Hartford Effective Schoois 

Initiative, the Interdistrict Montessori Pre-school Project funded by state 
interdistrict program funds, etc. 

While many of these programs held great promise and even resulted in improved 

student learning, when the specially targeted funding was withdrawn, many of 
these programs ceased to exist; first, because general budget funds were not 
readily available to support these projects and second, because the formal 
institutionalization of these programs within the regular educational program 
was not planned at the outset of the programs' initiation. 

Additionally, were one to judge the success of the overall educational program 

based on student learning results as measured by the Connecticut Mastery Test, 
in an absolute sense, the program has not met the academic needs of the 

students. For example, in the last administration of the Mastery Test in 

October 1990. 69% of grade 4 students fell below the ~emedial standard set for 
reading; S53 % of grade 6 students fell below tr2 rems3ial standard set for 
reading; and 57% of grade 8 students fell below the remedial standard set for 
reading. 

The encouraging news is that looking at the trend of scores over a five year 

period, Hartford students do perform with increasing skill. Yet, they are 
unable to close the gap between their achievement ana the achievement of their 
grade level counterparts in suburban and rural communities. 

[t is with this context in mind, that the State Boara of Education and the 
Hartford Board of Education met to consider how they might join forces in a 
partnership. The following agenda represents their agreement as to how to 
improve the performance of students attending Hartford schools. Many of the 

 



  

initiatives orntes here will require extraordinary Sibi, the part 
of the boards, "tne people who work for the boards, the legislature and the 
city of Hartford. (The key to the future of Hartford schools is the raising of 
standards and expectations. While the agenda as presented charts this course, 
success will depend not only upon changes made in legislative requirements, 
state requirements, union and board agreements and contracts, but also in the 
fundamental change of attitude towards the Hartford schools and schooling in 
general. 

[Students need to be secure in the knowledge that parents and teachers will be 
there to help. Most of all, Hartford students must know that they do have 
opportunities and whatever their career choices are, their schools will give 
them a sound foundation. However, students will be expected to work hard at 
their studies and to understand that an orderly school environment is as much 
their responsibility as it is those who supervise them. Their diplomas will 
mean more because of the standards they will meet. 

Hartford parents need to know that their children deserve an excellent 
education and that they, as parents, are a crucial component of the 
educational framework. Hartford parents must be empowered to make their 
expectations clear to their local board of education and schools by attending 
meetings, sharing concerns and watching for improved achievement results in 
their children. Many of Hartford's parents need help themselves in learning 
how to provide support at home to their children, not only by making sure that 
their children arrive at school in the morning, but by also making sure that 
they help create an environment that is supportive of their children's efforts 
to learn. Hartford parents have the right to know that they themselves, like 
all Connecticut adults, will be afforded meaningful opportunities to learn. 

Hartford teachers and administrators need to know that the work that they do 
is extremely important and worthy of respect. The Hartford educators must be 
competent and accountable for the job done. They, as educators, must be 
models, not only of teaching, but also of learning. The Hartford teachers’ 
and administrators' commitment to the children of Hartford can be second to 
none. The citizens of Connecticut need to know that by strengthening schools 
such as those in Hartforc will take a herculean commitment. Hartford 
Students, parents and educators must do their part as must the state. l* 

The investment will be expensive in time, energy and money, but the whole 
state will share in the benefits. The time has long past to help Hartford 
students improve their learning. The time is now to restructure the ways by 
which Hartford students learn. The State Board of Education and the Hartford 
Board of Education must act in concert to assure that all Hartford students 
learn and are taught with the same high expectations as their counterparts 
across the state. 

If Connecticut hopes to maintain and improve its overall reputation of 
providing high quality educational systems throughout the state, it must 
guarantee that each student in each community of our state is fluent in the 
elements of a well rounded education. Thus, the time is right for action to 
meet the mission of the Hartford/State Board of Education Partnership Project: 

TO HELP HARTFORD STUDENTS LEARN AT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED LEVELS. 

*INOTE: (Might be omitted in succeeding drafts.)] 

 



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PARTNERSHIP MISSION: To help Hartford students learn at significantly 
improved levels. 
  

PARTNERSHIP GOALS - To ensure Hartford's 4th grade students equity in 
educational outcomes with their counterparts around the state. 
  

- All students who enter Hartford public schools as Kindergarteners in 
September 1992, will by the time they are 4th graders in September 1996, score 
on the reading and mathematics sections of the Connecticut Mastery Test, as 
well as their 4th grade counterparts across the state. 

 



RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO INCREASE STUDENTS' SCHOOL CONTACT TIME: 

  

1. Lower the age for Hartford students for compulsory school attendance from 

7 to 4 years of age. 

2. Extend all half day kindergarten programs of not less than 2 1/2 hours to 

a viable extended day program of not less than 4 hours. 

3. Require all children who enter kindergarten in September 1992, and for 

each successive year thereafter to: 

a. attend school for 200 days; 
b. attend before and/or after school programs which provide targeted tutor- 

ing in language arts and mathematics. 

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE: 

LEGISLATION REQUIRED: 

HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION/STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY ACTIONS 
REQUIRED: 

OsT: 

 



  

RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY CURRICULAR PROGRAMS IN 

LANGUAGE ARTS/READING AND MATHEMATICS: 

1. Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum offerings in language 

arts/reading and mathematics up to grade 4. 

2. Implement curriculum models in language arts/reading and mathematics up to 
grade 4 which are representative of current research. 

3. Ensure that appropriate, up-to-date curriculum materials and supplies are 
provided in adequate quantities to all students up to grade 4. 

4. Provide a coordinated staff development program for teams of 
administrators and teachers who teach up to grade 4 which includes continued 
support throughout the implementation years. 

5. Provide multiple formative evaluative measures of the curriculum in 
language arts/reading and mathematics up to grade 4. 

6. Ensure that each elementary school has at least one mathematics resource 
teacher and two language arts/reading teachers whose primary functions are to 
assist in the implementation of the curricular program and provide staff 
development and coaching to teachers who teach up to grade 4. 

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE: 

LEGISLATION REQUIRED: 

HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION/STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY ACTIONS 
REQUIRED: 

 



  

RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO RESTRUCTURE STANDARD DELIVERY MCODES OF INSTRUCTION: 

1. Restructure school schedules to reduce the number of pucils per teacher 

during language arts/reading and mathematics instruction in grades up to 4. 

2. Restructure bilingual and compensatory education programs to redefine, 

when and if appropriate, the pull out model of instruction in grades up to 4. 

3. Restructure, radically, the mode of delivery of instruction to those 

"students who are in the compensatory education program more than 3 years and 

do not achieve the remedial standards set on the Connecticut Mastery Test. 

4. Restructure, radically, the mode of delivery of instruction to those 

students who are in the bilingual program more than five yezrs and do not 

achieve the remedial standards set on the Connecticut Mastery Test. 

5. Redirect money to support the restructuring objectives igentified in 

recommendations 1 - 4 above. 

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE: 
LEGISLATION REQUIRED: 

HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION/STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY ACTIONS 

REQUIRED: 

 



   
RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE RETENTION AND CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT 

OF HARTFORD'S EDUCATORS: 

 § Require all 1992 kindergarten teachers (and successive grades for eacn 

year thereafter) to work 10 days beyond the pupil school year (a total of 210 

days). 

2. Require all 1992 kindergarten teachers (and successive grades for eacn 

year thereafter) to provide before and/or after school tutoring to identified 

students. 

3. Identify and train one teacher in each elementary school to serve full 

time in each of these roles: 

a) mathematics resource teacher 

b) language arts resource teacher 

c) reading resource teacher 

4. Require teachers and principals to attend staff development sessions 

focused on the language arts/reading and mathematics areas. 

5. Institute teacher recognition programs which highlight and focus upon 

individual and groups of teachers who have enhanced the curriculum and shown 

that the students whom they have taught achieve at high levels. 

6. Establish a teacher exchange program which allows teachers and/or 

principals to serve in and out of Hartford and surrounding school districts. 

 



  

JECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN THE FAMILY UNIT AND PROVIDE 

“OMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES TO HARTFORD STUDENTS' FAMILIES: 

Provide at each elementary school a resource center which offers the 1 
following services: 

a. A specially designed individual family service plan which outlines 

appropriate educational and other services for the child and his/her 

family, including, but not limited to: 

1 Child care for both school-aged and non-school aged children, 

2 Counseling services (career, alcohol, drug, etc.), 

3 (On-site and in home parenting training for prenatal, infant, toddler, 

preschool and school aged children. 

4 Health care referrals.