Discussion about Public School Choice and Liberal Arts Curriculum for Hartford Families Jack Dougherty, Trinity College Lourdes Fonseca, ConnCAN May 14, 2009

We listened to Levey Kardulis and heard two questions: 1)How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? 2) Are all secondary schools providing a liberal arts curriculum for students to continue into higher education? What do we already know? What do you want to know? What are the next steps?

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families?

Untangle the choice mix: Interdistrict choiceDistrict choice

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Untangle the choice mix: Interdistrict choice Enroll City of Hartford and suburban students Magnet, charter, technical schools and the Open Choice transfer program Created in response to Sheff desegregation case Lottery by Regional School Choice Office (and others) Interdistrict schools for 6th graders (plus Open Choice seats in suburbs)

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Untangle the choice mix: District choice Hartford Public Schools launched city-wide “all- choice” system Students finishing the last grade in an HPS school must choose, but all students may choose Lottery by HPS Choice Office District schools for 6th graders who reside in Hartford

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Untangle the choice mix: Interdistrict choice Enroll City of Hartford and suburban students Magnet, charter, technical schools and the Open Choice transfer program Created in response to Sheff desegregation case Lottery by Regional School Choice Office (and others) District choice Hartford Public Schools launched city-wide “all- choice” system Students finishing the last grade in an HPS school must choose, but all students may choose Lottery by HPS Choice Office Families may choose to apply to both types

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Preliminary lottery results (reported by Hartford Courant, April 2009) District choice (in Hartford) Total students in HPS district schoolsabout 20,000 Applicants completing last grade (required to choose) 2,157 switching schools (exercised option to choose) 1,390 about 70-85% of students received 1st or 2nd choice

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Preliminary lottery results (reported by Hartford Courant, April 2009) Interdistrict choice ApplicantsStudents placed by lottery Total 11,083Total3,196 from suburbs 5,565 from Hartford 5,518 Htfd & Sub in magnets2,935 Hartford to tech schools 95 Hartford to new suburban Open Choice seats 93 Suburbs to Hartford Open Choice seats 73

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? Some Hartford families did not receive 1st choice for closest school

1) How are new public school choice policies affecting Hartford families? What do we already know? What do you want to know? What are the next steps?

2) Are all secondary schools providing a liberal arts curriculum for students to continue into higher education?

Example: If a student enrolls in high school with a specific career track, such as: Bulkeley Teacher Prep Studies CREC Public Safety Academy Culinary Arts Academy Hartford Insurance & Finance Academy HPHS Academies (Engineering, Law, Nursing) Journalism & Media Academy Sport & Medical Science Academy But if that student chooses not to specialize in this area, has s/he been educated broadly enough in the liberal arts to go onto college? Hard to find curricular details on school websites

2) Are all secondary schools providing a liberal arts curriculum for students to continue into higher education? Which schools currently offer sufficient courses for students to meet CT’s proposed HS graduation requirements ? Which schools are moving in this direction? Which schools are not aware of this proposal?

2) Are all secondary schools providing a liberal arts curriculum for students to continue into higher education? What do we already know? What do you want to know? What are the next steps?