From the New Haven Independent:
“Equity” and “excellence” are about to get an update.
Those two words summarized the mission of a five-year plan to guide Connecticut’s schools. The State Board of Education drafted and began undertaking the plan five years ago.
Now the board is crafting a new five-year plan. It has a new chair to guide that process: New Haven’s Karen DuBois-Walton.
“I really want to lean in on those two pillars again” as the board crafts a new five-year plan — with an eye to meeting new or unaddressed challenges. DuBois-Walton said during a conversation Wednesday on WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.
For instance, while state schools overall post high performance results, too often groups like English language learners and special-ed students are left behind from the success, she said.
DuBois-Walton, who for 15 years has run New Haven’s housing authority, said she also looks to examine how segregated housing contributes to school segregation. DuBois-Walton has played a leading role in a coalition challenging exclusive suburban zoning laws. Connecticut recently settled the 33-year-old Sheff v O’Neill desegregation lawsuit with promises to boost magnet schools through the Project Choice program for urban students to attend suburban schools.
The need for mental-health help for students has been dramatically revealed during the Covid-19 pandemic, another goal the state board can help pursue, DuBois-Walton stated.
Read the New Haven Independent's article "DuBois-Walton Takes Up “Equity” & “Excellence” Challenge In New State Ed Board Role," featuring Elm City Communities.