Episode Information

It’s been 20 years since the Sheff v. O’Neill lawsuit was filed. The case challenged the entrenched racial isolation in the Hartford Public School system. A 2008 settlement in the case commits the state to expand integrated education options for Hartford's public school children over the next five years-- a process that will require additional state funds and expanded oversight. Meanwhile, critics wonder if the racial integration called for by Sheff is really the key to helping close the achievement gap. On today's Where We Live, as part of a daylong examination of this landmark case, we’ll talk about what’s changed – and what’s stayed the same for the last two decades of education in our region.

On the 15^th anniversary of the Sheff vs. O’Neill court case, CPTV produced the following stories for its Main Street program. In the first of these two stories, featured below, you’ll learn how the case helped to implement desegregation in the school system. Those interviewed include: Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Milo Sheff and Theodore Sergi, former CT Commissioner of Education 1994-2003. Then hear from the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, John Britain. He discusses his frustration with the slow pace the state has taken with the issue.

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