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2023 State Legislative Session: Education Advocacy at the CT State Legislature < Back January 2023 Meeting Who: Erika Haynes, Director of Community Engagement What: 2023 State Legislative Session: Education Advocacy at the CT State Legislature Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: January 21, 2023 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Introduction to Speaker School & State Finance Project - Erika Haynes, Director of Community Engagement Sheff Movement Updates Download Meeting Material 2023 Proposed Legislation Related to Education State and School Finance 012123 .pptx Download PPTX • 3.12MB Student-Centered Funding State and School Finance Presentation 012123 .pptx Download PPTX • 275KB Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back April 2018 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: April 21, 2018 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

We'll be discussing the Hartford Region Open Choice Program. < Back February 2022 Meeting Who: Featured Guest: Renita G. Ezell What: We'll be discussing the Hartford Region Open Choice Program. Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: February 19, 2022 at 3:00:00 PM Renita Ezell, a Project Concern/Open Choice alumnus and Open Choice employee for eighteen years, will present the program. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers. The meeting will be held virtually on Saturday, Feb 19 from 10-11:30 am (Onboading will start at 9:45) Meeting Agenda Welcome Introduction of Speaker: Patti Beckett Presentation on Open Choice: Renita G. Ezell Sheff Agreement Update Sheff Movement Update Download Meeting Materials Hartford Region Open Choice Program .pdf Download PDF • 2.15MB Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back December 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Breakthrough North - 395 Lyme Street Hartford, CT 06112 When: December 19, 2015 at 3:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back January 2018 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: January 20, 2018 at 3:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back November 2014 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Environmental Science Magnet School at Mary Hooker - 440 Broadview Terrace in Hartford When: November 15, 2014 at 3:00:00 PM Join us for a light lunch, following the School Choice Fair at A.I. Prince Tech. The Environmental Science Magnet School at Mary Hooker is located at 440 Broadview Terrace in Hartford. RSVP here to help us get an accurate count for lunch. Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back April 2009 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Hartford City Hall, Council Chambers When: April 11, 2009 at 1:30:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back April 2016 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: April 16, 2016 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

ABOUT SHEFF MOVEMENT The History of SMC Community activism has been at the heart of the Sheff v. O’Neill movement from the start. Concern and outrage over segregated and unequal conditions in the Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven schools led to the formation of a statewide organization in the late 1980s, called the Connecticut Coalition for Educational Equity. The coalition brought together parents, educators, faith leaders, and community activists and also included several of the plaintiffs in the Sheff case. After the Sheff case was filed, the coalition became increasingly focused on the Hartford region. Community organizing and activism continued throughout the different stages of the case, as exemplified by the defiant community march following the initial defeat in the superior court, and the celebration at the Horace Bushnell Congregational Church (now called Liberty Christian) following the 1996 Supreme Court victory. In the early 2000s, as the Sheff remedy started to grow, the current Sheff Movement coalition emerged, based on two important insights: first, that parents and children in the growing two way interdistrict system had become untethered from the traditional school district structures and needed a voice and a coalition focused on their interests, and second, that by bringing all of the stakeholders in the system together on a regular basis, we could keep an open flow of information, reach consensus and alignment on goals, and spot and address implementation issues at an early stage. We also understand how important it is to build community support outside the context of lawyers and courts and litigation. Under the leadership of co-chairs Jim Boucher and Elizabeth Horton Sheff, the Sheff Movement coalition has been meeting regularly now for the past 10+ years, usually on a monthly basis.

Updates on State Data on Voluntary Interdistrict Magnet and Choice Schools < Back January 2022 Meeting Who: Speaker: Keith Norton What: Updates on State Data on Voluntary Interdistrict Magnet and Choice Schools Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: January 19, 2022 at 3:00:00 PM Keith Norton (CSDE) will provide updates on State Data on Voluntary Interdistrict Magnet and Choice Schools. Previous Next

Acerca de Youth Organizing and Leadership Initiatives The Sheff Movement Coalition has been involved in a multi-year initiative to broaden community engagement and organizing in its decades-long effort to make quality integrated education available for all children. School-Based Advocacy Teams (SBATs) School Based Advocacy Teams (SBATs) lay the groundwork for raising awareness and strengthening crucial alliances for quality integrated education. SBATs center the voices of those most impacted by the effects of unequal educational opportunities and the efforts for integration - addressing how this inequality affects all aspects of their lives in and out of school. School Based Advocacy Teams (SBATs) are working groups of parents, educators, and students that develop skills and resources to improve school climate and advocate for the needs of their school communities and the wider system. Each SBAT team is designed and led by students, parents, and staff at each school. Current SBAT Highlights: -Students at Farmington High School (FHS) were invited speakers at SMC July public meeting. They shared about their annual Social Justice Week initiative which is in its 7th year and the ongoing work of FHS students to raise awareness and solidarity among students and to provide spaces for dialogue and learning for students as well as teachers and staff. The SMC organizing team will continue working with the FHS team this year, while also branching out to work with students at Irving A. Robbins Middle School. -This summer, eight rising seniors at Capital Preparatory Magnet School participated in a four-week summer internship with the Coalition. These students engaged in activities and discussions oriented around the core themes of the SBAT program: -History of Sheff v O’Neill and the movement for quality integrated education. -Sheff Movement vision and values -Civil rights and social justice -Public education in the U.S., Connecticut, and your town and school -Anti-racist organizing, activism, and advocacy -Leadership The students also contributed to developing core SBAT activities and resources. The SMC organizing team will continue to meet with students at Capital Prep this academic year, further developing this work and supporting them with their amazing senior social justice projects. -New SBAT teams are in the process of being launched at several Hartford and Goodwin University magnet schools , while others are reinvigorating their work after the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for updates on these coming soon! Community-Based Advocacy Teams (CBATs) Building on the success of the SBATs, the Sheff Movement Coalition is now engaging with students, educators, caregivers, community leaders and others through important community organizations, such as Ebony Horsewomen and the Center for Latino Progress, to create Community-based Advocacy Teams (CBATs). Read more about CBATs here. Current CBAT Highlights: The Coalition is honored to welcome our first two community partners in the CBAT initiative: Ebony Horsewomen (EHI) “is a one-of-a-kind, urban riding center in Hartford Connecticut. Since 1984, [they’ve] served our community’s youth, families, adults, and military veterans through equine-assisted psychotherapy, therapeutic riding, and a variety of youth programs “ https://ebonyhorsewomen.org/. Center for Latino Progress (CPRF) (previously known as the CT Puerto Rican Forum) has a mission “to advance the socio-economic conditions of the community at large, with emphasis on Hispanics through education, training, supportive services, leadership development and advocacy” https://ctprf.org/. Students at each organization have started the process of engaging in activities and discussions oriented around the themes of the CBAT initiative with our organizing team. Stay tuned for more updates soon!

SMC Updates < Back January 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Journalism and Media Academy - 150 Tower Ave. Hartford, CT 06120 When: January 17, 2015 at 3:00:00 PM Our January meeting will be held at Journalism and Media Academy (150 Tower Avenue, Hartford, CT 06120). We’re excited to be at JMA as we provide updates about our developing collaboration with Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival. Come learn a bit about the innovative programs at this Hartford magnet school, hear updates about our ongoing advocacy and outreach efforts, and participate in final preparations for this year’s legislative session. We hope to see you there! Bring Potential Partners to the Table Know of someone who might be interested in the Social Justice Award we’re sponsoring as part of the Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival? Forward this email to them and invite them to join us on January 17th. Previous Next