You are invited to celebrate with us at The Heroines of Hartford unveiling ceremony and view portraits of the honorees painted by renowned D.C.- based artist Levi Robinson. The paintings will remain on display for the community to appreciate < Back Heroines of Hartford Unveiling Ceremony Past Event Who: w/ Master of Ceremony Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad When: May 12, 2022 at 5:00:00 PM Where: EHI Equestrian & Therapeutic Center. 337 Vine Street, Hartford, CT You are invited to celebrate with us at The Heroines of Hartford unveiling ceremony and view portraits of the honorees painted by renowned D.C.- based artist Levi Robinson. The paintings will remain on display for the community to appreciate Elizabeth Horton Sheff to be Honored at Heroines of Hartford Unveiling Ceremony RSVP - info@ebonyhorsewomen.us Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. will pay tribute to eight women who have served the Hartford community through acts of kindness, advocacy, and leadership on Thursday, May 12, 2022. You are invited to celebrate with us at The Heroines of Hartford unveiling ceremony and view portraits of the honorees painted by renowned D.C.- based artist Levi Robinson. The paintings will remain on display for the community to appreciate. The event, made possible with grants from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the City of Hartford, will start at 1:00 PM at EHI Equestrian and Therapeutic Center at 337 Vine Street in Hartford. The special occasion will be hosted by Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad and includes remarks by EHI CEO and President Patricia E. Kelly. Our heroines include women who have had an immeasurable impact on our community, both past and present - attorney Cynthia Jennings, community activist Elizabeth Horton-Sheff, former councilwoman rJo Winch, activist and former city official Patricia M. Williams, social worker and advocate Elba Cruz Schulman, politician and change maker Ella Cromwell, Artists Collective co-founder Cheryl Smith, and environmental leader and "Hartford's Tree Lady", Charmaine Craig. Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. would like to remind Hartford just how appreciated our community and its leaders are. Please join us for this special occasion! Info cited from ebonyhorsewomen.org - https://ebonyhorsewomen.org/heroines-of-hartford Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back February 2016 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: February 27, 2016 at 3:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back May 2019 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: May 18, 2019 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back May 2017 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: May 20, 2017 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back November 2008 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Hartford City Hall, Council Chambers When: November 22, 2008 at 2:30:00 PM Previous Next

SHEFF MOVEMENT PUBLICATIONS NOTE: THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED (MARCH 2022) 2017 Sheff Movement Legislative Priorities 2017 - Read more about the coalition's three 2017 legislative priorities: 1) Ensure that state education finance reforms strongly support and incentivize racial and economic integration both at the district and interdistrict levels. 2) Develop a unified and sustainable statewide school integration program. 3) Require that “progress toward racial and socioeconomic integration” be included in Connecticut’s education accountability systems. 2016 Sheff Movement Legislative & Advocacy Agenda 2016 2015 SMC Policy Brief: Pre-K Availability and Access in Hartford Region Magnet and Open Choice Schools - This Policy Brief will address some of the common questions about the scope and demand of the Greater Hartford Area’s Magnet and Open Choice Pre-K program (“RSCO Pre-K”) program including: How many Hartford and suburban students are in publicly funded Pre-K programs of all types? How many RSCO Pre-K seats are available? How do available RSCO Pre-K seats correspond to demand, particularly between Pre-K and Kindergarten? And finally, what are potential obstacles for families in accessing RSCO Pre-K programs? Sheff Movement Legislative Agenda 2015 2014 SMC Policy Brief: Simplifying the Lottery Process: Preferences - This policy brief provides an in-depth look at the system used for lottery preferences for regional integration programs (interdistrict magnet schools and the Open Choice program) in Greater Hartford. We believe that the preference system for student admission needs to be more transparent. An Introduction to the Voluntary Two-Way School Integration System in the Hartford Area Sheff Movement Legislative Agenda 2014 2013 An Introduction to the Voluntary Two-Way School Integration System in the Hartford Area Sheff Movement Newsletter: Winter 2012-13 - Our newest issue of Integrated Voices features the following articles: School Fairs Draw Large Crowds Test Scores Helping to Close State’s ‘Achievement Gap’ in Education Where Are They Now? Magnet School Diversity Struck a Chord with a Wethersfield Music Student Magnet School Settles Into Long Awaited Glastonbury Home Higher Graduation Rates for Magnets 2012 A Parents’ Guide To the Voluntary Two-Way School Integration System in the Hartford Area (2012) Sheff Movement Newsletter: Summer 2012 - In this issue of Integrated Voices: CREC Magnet Schools Under Sheff Settlement Outperforming State Averages and Reducing the Achievement Gap Magnet School Spotlight: Annie Fisher STEM Hartford Area Parents Attend National Conference on School Diversity A City Magnet Inspires A Former Suburban Student To Teach D.C. Youth Parent’s Corner by Lorenzo Blake Sheff Movement Newsletter: Spring 2012 - Our first issue of Integrated Voices features the following articles: Increase in Number of Children and Families Seeking Magnet Schools and Open Choice Programs New research on benefits of diversity in early education State of Integrated Education in the Hartford Region Magnet School Spotlight: Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker 7 Sheff Movement Legislative Agenda 2012 2011 Sheff Movement Legislative Agenda 2011 2010 A Parents’ Guide To the Voluntary Two-Way School Integration System in the Hartford Area (2010) 2008 Sheff Movement Survey Study by Alexis B. Browne, Lauren H. Friedman, and Sean T. Harrington - A new poll released by the University of Connecticut examines public attitudes toward voluntary school integration. The poll found that Connecticut residents strongly support the voluntary two-way integration programs that are the backbone of the Sheff v. O’Neill settlement agreement. Magnet School List (2008) 2007 Boston’s METCO Program: Lessons for the Hartford Area by Erica Frankenberg (2007) Improving and Expanding Hartford’s Project Choice Program by Erica Frankenberg (2007) To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Discussion on the right to equal education, Sheff v. O’Neill court case, and Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program. < Back Opening Doors for Open Choice Past Event Who: Speakers: Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Martha Stone, Tracy-Ann Johnson When: May 11, 2022 at 11:00:00 PM Where: Virtual Zoom Webinar Discussion on the right to equal education, Sheff v. O’Neill court case, and Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program. Register The Glastonbury nonprofit TALK (Truth in Action with Love & Kindness) invites the public to “Opening Doors for Open Choice: Glastonbury and the Sheff Civil Rights Settlement,” a free Zoom webinar on Wednesday, May 11, at 7 p.m. Presented in collaboration with Welles-Turner Memorial Library, this community conversation will cover the constitutional right to equal, integrated education, and the Sheff v. O’Neill recently settled lawsuit on Connecticut’s failure to meet its constitutional obligation. It also will focus on Glastonbury’s participation in the Open Choice program, which enables urban students to attend public schools in suburban districts, and suburban and rural students to attend public schools in urban areas. Speakers will include Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Sheff Movement Co-Chair and plaintiff in the landmark civil rights lawsuit; Martha Stone, Co-Counsel for the Sheff case from its inception through recent settlement; and Tracy-Ann Johnson, parent of a Glastonbury Open Choice student and member of Glastonbury’s former Racial Justice and Equity Commission. Sheff will share how she and her then 10-year-old son, Milo, and the nine other plaintiff families, joined together in 1989 to sue Connecticut over the disparities in education available to Hartford vs. suburban public school students. She will explain why the Sheff case and movement continue to be vitally important today, and will describe the role of the magnet and Open Choice programs in helping to ensure access to equal education opportunities. Stone will explain the state constitutional protections at the heart of the Sheff lawsuit, and provide an overview of the case’s three-decade trajectory in the courts. Johnson will discuss why she decided to send her child to a Glastonbury public school through the Open Choice program, and will describe her own and other families’ experiences with the program. Registration is required. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y2hrp5zk to register Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back March 2018 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: March 17, 2018 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

Implicit Bias Training < Back June 2019 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: Implicit Bias Training Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: June 15, 2019 at 2:00:00 PM The Kirwan Institute for the study of race and ethnicity, located at the Ohio State University, defines implicit bias as “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.” During our meeting Jessica Pepin will lead attendees on a journey of self-exploration and honest conversation around implicit bias; most particularity how such affects students, parents, and teachers in our public school education system. Below is a link to the 2017 Kirwan Institute report on implicit bias. This report addresses implicit bias, as researched and identified, with regard to criminal justice; health; education; housing, and neighborhood dynamics. We encourage you to review this report before the training. This meeting is open to the public – all are welcome. STATE OF THE SCIENCE – Kirwan Institute 2017 Implicit Bias Review Previous Next

Join us for a conversation about housing, the landmark desegregation case, Sheff vs. O’Neill, and its impact on education in Connecticut. < Back Panel Discussion: Education, Housing, and the Role of Sheff vs. O'Neill Past Event Who: Speakers: John Brittain, Jack Dougherty, Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas When: April 12, 2022 at 11:00:00 PM Where: Virtual: Via Zoom Join us for a conversation about housing, the landmark desegregation case, Sheff vs. O’Neill, and its impact on education in Connecticut. Previous Next

We'll be discussing the new legal agreement in Sheff v. O'Neill. < Back June 2016 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: We'll be discussing the new legal agreement in Sheff v. O'Neill. Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: June 11, 2016 at 2:00:00 PM As a reminder, the Sheff Movement meeting will be held June 11th at our offices (75 Charter Oak Ave). We’ll start at 10AM and plan to finish by 12PM. Please forward any suggestions for agenda items. Three things: 1) We’ll be discussing the new legal agreement that was announced June 10th (See “With ‘Mixed Emotions,’ Sheff Plaintiffs Sign New Agreement In Desegregation Case” ) 2) We’ve been out and about this week! Check out highlights on our Twitter feed . 3) If you are planning to attend the Open Choice/Project Concern 50th Anniversary Event on June 25th, please don’t forget to RSVP ! Previous Next

ARCHIVES NOTE: THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED (MARCH 2022) Student Videos "Justice Deferred: The Story of Sheff v. O'Neill" (2017) by Pei Yi Zhuo and Pei Chao Zhuo, Farmington High School for Connecticut History Day 2017 Awards: Hartford Regional Contest: First Place, Senior Group Documentary; State Contest Special Prizes: Outstanding Entry Related to Connecticut Law – Senior Prize Sponsored by the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society “Rosaria” (2015) by Nicole Ellis of the Journalism and Media Academy, Winner of the Social Justice Award at the Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival "Separate But Unequal: Sheff v O’Neill" (2014) by TJ Noel-Sullivan of Classical Magnet School, a documentary recognized as the “Outstanding Entry in CT History” at the 2014 CT History Day competition. To see more of TJ’s award-winning videos, visit his YouTube Channel . Other Resources Integration Ambassadors: A Grassroots Network of Parents and Educators in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, Keeps Racial and Economic Diversity in Schools and on Agendas by Susan Eaton (2013) The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial by Susan Eaton (2009) To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.