In the current school year, says Thomas Murphy, the spokesman for the state education department, the state is funding 15 magnet schools and 15 charter schools to increase the educational opportunities for students. An accompanying mandate requires every district to draft a reading plan for grades K-3 and to justify decisions to promote children who are not reading at grade level. Prospective elementary teachers also must complete six class hours devoted to reading instruction. Schools and districts will type the information into the reports over the Internet before the profiles are released. Districts also must explain how they are ensuring an equitable allocation of resources among schools.
Observers offer differing views on the adequacy of the legislature's efforts.
But it barely scratches the surface of what's needed in the urban centers. The plaintiffs in the Sheff case would agree. Their representatives maintain that giving more resources to the Hartford schools and giving some students opportunities to attend school elsewhere will not result in integrated schools. You can't trade one for the other. Of course, truly integrating schools in a city where the student population is almost entirely minority would require drastic measures.