Sheff celebrates 20th anniversary

I stopped at a press conference today at the Legislative Office Building. It was about the Sheff v. O'Neill case, which involved a state Supreme Court ruling that stated racial and economic isolation violates the constitutional rights of Hartford children. Today marks the landmark case's 20th anniversary.

I began my career covering education. Mix that with a bachelor's degree in sociology, and I am always fascinated by the Sheff case and other issues like it.

Anyway, this particular press conference focused on the strides made since the Supreme Court's ruling and was considered a preview of tonight's presentation at the University of Connecticut's law school. The anniversary event starts at 5 p.m.

The speakers were consistent. There are more opportunities for all students since the Sheff decision, but more work still needs to be done, they said. The success was largely linked to the availability of magnet schools, which create a diverse educational atmosphere by taking students from several different towns and teaching them under one roof.

The idea caught on outside of the Hartford region. Though Meriden was not directly affected by the Sheff decision, it has a magnet school -- Edison Middle School.

Since the ruling, two settlements have been reached between the state and the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The most recent one requires a comprehensive regional integration plan, an expanded Project Choice program, a number of new magnet schools and a goal of serving up to 80 percent of Hartford children who seek to attend integrated schools by 2013.

While only a select number of towns are considered "Sheff districts," one speaker said that the lawsuit technically applied to the entire state, but he also noted that lawsuits would have to be brought forth in other school districts for the results of Sheff to be directly applied.

"I think we would need to start all over again," said John C. Britain, an attorney who worked on the Sheff case.

While he may be realistic, I see Britain's statement as a sad commentary on our society. How much has Connecticut really changed over the past two years when it comes to racial isolation? What can we do to make sure that all children get an equal education? When we finally tackle the problem of racial and economic isolation, will the achievement gap shrink?

For more information on Sheff's history and on how to connect with civil rights and education advocates," visit www.sheffmovement.org.