[View the story "Connecticut's segregated schools " on Storify ]Connecticut's segregated schools Connecticut cities struggle to amend a long history of economic disparity. Storified by AJAMStream · Tue, Mar 04 2014 14:15:40
In 1989, Milo Sheff, along with 17 other children and their parents, filed a lawsuit that called attention to the
inequality between Hartford schools, which predominantly serve minorities, and suburban schools, primarily composed of white, upper-middle class students.
Nearly 25 years after the lawsuit was initiated, Hartford continues to fall short on settlement goals for
Sheff v. O'Neil . The
rate of Hartford students who attend integrated schools rose from 11 percent in 2007 to 42 percent in 2013. However, parents who support the Sheff movement say it's not enough.
The video below highlights the reasons behind Connecticut's achievement gap:
Achievement GapLlbd4vOc8Dowq0BmqQWvNw
In an interview with
CT Mirror , Phil Tegeler, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiff in the case, said, "More than 60 percent of Hartford children don’t have access to quality integrated settings. There’s a lot more work to be done."
The chart below illustrates the large majority of schools that remain segregated in Hartford as of 2013:
Map Hartford schoolsflickr.com
State data reveal that students who attend
magnet schools often
outperform on standardized tests as compared to those who continue to attend their neighborhood schools. However, parents who are critical of the lawsuit
say the dozens of magnet schools created through provisions in the settlement are forcing children out of neighborhoods.
In many instances, kids must travel across town to get to magnet schools, which some say is unfair to families. “We all bought our homes based on what school our kids were going to go to,”
said parent Benjamin D. Bianco.
Others point to economic factors such as high rates of crime and
violence , a shortage of affordable
housing and deep
poverty as underlying causes of Connecticut segregation.
The chart below shows the percentage of students who are eligible for a free or reduced lunch in comparison to the percentage of minority students attending Hartford schools:
Race/Socioeconmic statusflickr.com
When asked why Black and Latino students are less likely to attend diverse schools, The Stream community responded:
@AJAMStream White flight and colorblind racial ideology have let white communities consolidate resources rather than share themandré carrington PhD
@AJAMStream Extreme inequality has led to very homogenous communities. Diversity could reduce othering & even the distribution of resources.Christina Turiano
Some say equitable funding for schools is the way to provide quality education:
@AJAMStream how about ensure equitable (not equal ) funding for all schools instead?Andybud
@lisa_fletch @nwsander @AJAMStream the solution is adequately funding the neighborhood school first and foremost. #AJAMStreamAt the Chalk Face
@AJAMStream Perhaps not tying education quality to property taxes? Funding is a huge part of the issue. Poor families can't afford GreenwichChristina Turiano
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