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 EDUCATION Matters!
GatesGrant
Vol. 4, Issue No.  51
  December 6,  2012
Not . . . Often . . . Enough
$5M Gates Grant Bestows Much-Deserved Recognition on HPS
AllAboutStudents
Hartford Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving President Linda Kelly, Achievement First Co-CEO and President Dacia Toll, Gates Foundation Portfolio Manager Noah Wepman and Jumoke Academy CEO Michael Sharpe with Hartford's Jumoke Academy at Milner (in blue blazers) and Jumoke Academy students at the State House.
While the $5 million award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is clearly a vindication of Hartford's aggressive reform work (and the portfolio district model in particular) and the largest Gates investment ever made in the state, there is a more subtle reason for why this grant is so important. 
40,000 Adults in Need? 
Adult Ed Relocation Prompts Heated Discussion
Adult Ed Debate

At Tuesday night's workshop, the Hartford Board of Education heard about the District's plan to relocate the Adult Education Program from its location on Washington Street to the Capital Community College building at 960 Main Street. What ensued was both a worthy attempt to address the big issue that is adult education in Hartford - and an opportunity for a handful of Board members to sound off.

Quite the Dichotomy
Up and Down Sides of Reform on Display this Week
SurveyArt There was a sort of double-edged sword quality to Hartford school improvement developments this week: the Gates grant Wednesday morning honoring Hartford with an exciting national recognition painted one picture of a high-functioning District (and city) executing one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated reforms anywhere in the country; the debate just 14 hours earlier over the merits of relocating adult education - while bringing up some important issues - demonstrated a clear lack of sophistication in how reform plays out on the ground. Here's the way we see it. 
This Week  
A note of special congratulations to Dr. Kishimoto, her staff, the entire institutional advancement team, Achievement First, Jumoke Academy (FUSE), and all who put so much effort into improving Hartford schools: this national recognition has made this week feel special for Hartford - and that's what this city's reform movement is.

Please feel free to reach out to me personally with your thoughts on how we can continue to make an impact for children and families ... and know that our entire staff welcomes your insights anytime.

 

Paul Diego Holzer, Executive Director

Our Staff:
Pat Salner, Rahsaan Yearwood, Lourdes Fonseca,
Kent Ashworth, Nyesha McCauley 

 

Achieve Hartford! is an independent, nonprofit organization of business and community leaders dedicated to supporting student achievement and effective and sustained school reform in the Hartford Public Schools.

We welcome - and need - your support. Find out more at ...   
www.achievehartford.org 

221 Main St.
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
860-244-3333
Public Insights
GatesFoundation
Hartford's successful application for the Gates Foundation grant won this week's largest urban school district award in the U.S. Here it is.
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Featured Video 
CT-N
The  Connecticut Network broadcast of the Gates Foundation grant to the Hartford Public Schools. 
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