Welcome! Community Conversations about Education Hartford

TODAY’S GOALS  Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART) seeks to:  Build relationships  Act Collectively  Bring about lasting change in Hartford’s neighborhoods  Hope to inspire and move community members to action

OUR QUESTION What are the purposes of a public education?

OUR COMMUNITY CONVERSATION  Will help us understand our own values and beliefs about education.  Will help us understand the range of views in our community.  Will not produce a consensus.  Will explore possible steps to engage the larger community in action to improve education

APPROACHES

What are the consequences of these approaches for issues such as….  Length of school hours/year  Extracurricular programs  Gifted programs  Varied learning styles  Special accommodations  Teacher evaluations  Budget priorities

APPROACH 1: PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN THE JOB MARKET

 Building curriculum around workforce needs?  Focusing on science, technology, engineering and math?  Early tracking of students to college prep vs technical paths?  Teaching students social skills for the workplace?  Establishing a dress code? Does this mean….. Is this too limiting? Could students lose sight of their ambitions and goals?

APPROACH 2: WIDEN STUDENTS’ HORIZONS & HELP THEM EXPRESS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY

 Encouraging creativity?  Nurturing independent thinking?  Developing a lifelong passion for learning? Does this mean….. Would there be a lack of structure? Would academics be less than rigorous? Is this good for society?

APPROACH 3: PRODUCE RESPONSIBLE AND CAPABLE CITIZENS

 Teaching values such as patriotism, community service, acceptance?  Focusing on history, public policy, civics and social studies?  Developing analytical skills?  Introducing robust community service programs? Does this mean….. Would there be a lack of focus on the hard sciences? Could students become content with their beliefs? Could there be a narrowing of perspectives on global cultural differences?

APPROACH 4: IS THERE ANOTHER APPROACH?

SMALL GROUP SESSION

SHARING SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS

NEXT STEPS: FOLLOW UP MEETING WILL SHARE REPORT AND DESIGN ACTION PLAN DATE: TIME: PLACE:

THANK YOU!  Planning Committee  Moderators & Recorders  Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART)  Hartford Public Schools  Achieve Hartford!  Our Piece of the Pie  Trinity College  William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund  Community Mediation of New Haven If you have questions or would like more information, contact HART at: (860) or