"HARTFORD —. - A group of city parents supporting the 'parent trigger' provision in education reform legislation to be considered by the General Assembly had one principal reaction Monday.
What took so long?
The provision was part of a 10-point plan proposed last week by the legislature's Black & Puerto Rican Caucus to address the state's achievement gap between white and minority students'This should have been done a long time ago,' said Millie Arciniegas, president of the Hartford Parent Organization Council. 'We don't have a voice.'
The council supports the parent trigger as a way to give parents power to change the direction of failing city schools.
If passed, the legislation would allow 51 percent or more of parents from a school that has failed to make progress for three consecutive years under the national No Child Left Behind guidelines to petition for intervention.
The remedies proposed could force dramatic changes, including closing a school altogether. One plan, called the 'turnaround model,' would include replacing the principal and 50 percent of the staff. A 'restart model' would include converting to a charter school."
What took so long?
The provision was part of a 10-point plan proposed last week by the legislature's Black & Puerto Rican Caucus to address the state's achievement gap between white and minority students'This should have been done a long time ago,' said Millie Arciniegas, president of the Hartford Parent Organization Council. 'We don't have a voice.'
The council supports the parent trigger as a way to give parents power to change the direction of failing city schools.
If passed, the legislation would allow 51 percent or more of parents from a school that has failed to make progress for three consecutive years under the national No Child Left Behind guidelines to petition for intervention.
The remedies proposed could force dramatic changes, including closing a school altogether. One plan, called the 'turnaround model,' would include replacing the principal and 50 percent of the staff. A 'restart model' would include converting to a charter school."
