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
 Will
not produce a consensus.
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
APPROACH 1: PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN
THE JOB MARKET
Does this mean…..
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?

Is this too limiting?
Could students lose sight of their ambitions and goals?
APPROACH 2:
WIDEN STUDENTS’ HORIZONS & HELP
THEM EXPRESS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY
APPROACH 2: WIDEN STUDENTS’ HORIZONS & HELP
THEM EXPRESS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY
Does this mean…..

Encouraging creativity?

Nurturing independent thinking?

Developing a lifelong passion for learning?
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
APPROACH 3: PRODUCE RESPONSIBLE AND
CAPABLE CITIZENS
Does this mean…..
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?

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) 525-3449 or info@hartofhartford.org