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New on our website:
- Read about our new statewide poll on attitudes toward voluntary school integration
- Read the new Sheff v. O’Neill settlement agreement
- PowerPoint presentation from the ACLU on The First Ten Years of Sheff v. O'Neill Implementation
- Read the Hartford Foundation’s new article on the Sheff Movement’s “Project Choice Campaign”
What is the Sheff Movement?
We are parents, citizens, educators and others who care about civil rights and education. We work to educate the public and increase support for quality education for all children and proven voluntary integration measures.
In 1996, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the segregated conditions in the Hartford public school system violate the Connecticut Constitution and charged the state of Connecticut with devising a remedy.
Despite some progress, Hartford schools are more segregated today than ever. State settlements have not been fully supported and have failed to reach their goals. There are many reasons, but the underlying cause is a lack of political will.
What has happened since the 1996 ruling?
The most recent settlement between the plaintiffs and the state expired in 2007, reaching only 14% of Hartford students - less than half the negotiated goal.
The main tools in the settlement have been inter-district magnet schools and Project Choice, which sends Hartford children to suburban schools. More than 1,000 Hartford students now take part in Project Choice, and 22 new schools have been created, most within Hartford.
The plaintiffs returned to court last year, seeking stronger state involvement. After the conclusion of the hearing, the parties negotiated for several months, and in April 2008 agreed on a new five-year settlement to expand voluntary integration measures in the region. The agreement has been submitted to the Connecticut General Assembly for review and may go into effect as early as this summer.
What can I do?
- Sign up on this website. We'll keep you informed of events, new research, and how you can help.
- Host a video party or put our DVD on your town's cable access station. We have made several videos that highlight the benefits of integration and how suburban parents have made their towns' Project Choice programs successful.
- Talk to your Board of Education. Suburban towns and schools have room to welcome more Hartford children. Legislators also need to hear from their constituents that we support magnet schools and other measures. Successful voluntary integration programs offer concrete steps to make all of these programs succeed.
- Speak out. Talk to your neighbors and friends about the issue. Respond to news and write a letter to the editor or call your elected officials.
What is at stake?
Connecticut is failing the children in our urban schools. Aside from the moral reasons to correct this imbalance, there are severe economic repercussions. Children are not getting the chance to learn and ultimately will lack basic skills to contribute to our society or compete in the job market. Yet our state's economic future will depend on their contributions. The current system serves no one in the long run. Research shows that white students are also much better off in integrated schools, with better critical thinking skills and ability to navigate the workforce and the world. By allowing the current educational system to persist, we are continue on a slow yet steady course to economic stagnation and inequality.