Sheff Movement update: [“Integration and the achievement gap; meet the Commissioner ”] (January 12, 2012)

Next Sheff Movement meeting Saturday, January 21 at 9:30: We are pleased to welcome Connecticut's new Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, to our January meeting. Please join us at 9:30 next Saturday morning at our usual meeting place at Capital Preparatory Magnet School, 1304 Main Street in Hartford (parking either in the school's small parking lot or on Main Street right in front of the school). Please RSVP if you plan to come, so we have enough donuts, coffee, etc.

Sheff Movement presents testimony to the Governor's Achievement Gap Task Force: Barbara Zuras, an active Sheff Movement supporter from Avon, recently testified for the Sheff Movement at a public hearing of the Connecticut Achievement Gap Task Force, which is charged with developing recommendations on reducing Connecticut's extreme academic achievement gap for low income children and children of color. Read her testimony here.

REMINDER: January 20th deadline for Magnet and Open Choice applications: If you know parents who may be interested in applying for one of the regional magnet schools or the suburban Open Choice program, please let them know that the deadline for applications is January 20, and pass along this email. Parents can apply online or call 860-713-6990 to receive a paper application and a catalogue.

Also - help is available to pick schools and fill out applications before the January 20th deadline! Staff from the Regional School Choice Office will be available at:

• 111 Charter Oak Ave. in Hartford on Jan. 17th, from 8am to 4pm
• The Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street on Jan. 15th from 1 to 5pm or Jan. 17th from 3 to 8pm.

If you are applying to the regional magnet schools, we recommend that you apply to at least three schools. Also, you may want to consider applying to both the regional magnet schools and to the Open Choice program. Remember, the deadline for applications is next Friday, January 20th.

p.s. - If you received this from a friend, you can sign up here for future emails...