An Interview with Dr.Christina Kishimoto Regarding the Hartford Public School Choice Process- Ficklin Media

What is the Hartford Public School Choice Process?

Simply put, the Hartford Public School Choice Program is the process by which Hartford parents get to select the school they want their children to attend. The parent picks four schools in order of preference on an application and the child is guaranteed a seat in one of those four schools.
Parents must apply whenever their child is entering elementary school for the first time and when their child is moving from a K-5 elementary school to a middle school or from a middle school to a high school. Parents may also apply when a new school opens or when an existing school adds new grades, regardless of what grade their child is in.
The guarantee is good so long as the parent completes and submits the choice application on line by midnight on March 31 of this year.
The application is available in English at  HYPERLINK "http://www.HPSChoice.org" www.HPSChoice.org and in Spanish at  HYPERLINK "http://www.YoElijoHartford.org" www.YoElijoHartford.org. The websites also offer a profile of each school and the courses taught there. Parents are invited to visit the schools that interest them to help them with their choices. Those parents who don’t have access to a computer or who need help filling out the application should call 860-695-8876 and our staff will be standing by to assist them.

Q: Why is this important at this point in time?
Participating in the Choice process is important because Hartford Public Schools has revamped itself into a system of high-performing theme-based schools and career-focused academies. Scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test have increased at several times the rate for the rest of the state for the past three years.
It is also important because Hartford parents no longer have to gamble on a lottery, where the odds of winning are 1 in 21, or send their children far away from home to provide them a college ready education. Every child is guaranteed a seat at one of his four school choices.

Q: What are some of the school offerings available to parents?
Global Communications Academy, which is modeled after the International Baccalaureate Schools, known all over the world for their rigorous curriculum that requires that all students speak and write two languages. In partnership with the Say Yes To Education Foundation, every student who graduates from the academy is guaranteed a full scholarship to college.
The Renzulli Academy for the Gifted and Talented is the only full-day program for gifted and talented children in all of New England. Students there are invited to apply based on their perfect scores on the CMT.

The Betances Early Reading Laboratory School (PK-3) is especially designed to ensure that every child is reading at or above grade level by grade 3.

At the elementary level, we have excellent neighborhood schools such as the Parkville Community School and the James Naylor Elementary School, whose students consistently score at the highest levels on the CMT in reading, writing math and science.
We also have the two-year-old Achievement First Hartford Academy, the district’s only affiliated charter school, and the sister school to the Amistad Academy in New Haven. Students there also scored at the highest levels on the CMT.
Students at the Asian Studies Academy learn the Mandarin Chinese language for eight years and teachers at the school receive their professional development training during the summer months in China.
At the high school level, we have redesigned our comprehensive high schools into small career-oriented academies with no more than 400 students each. They include the Nursing Academy, the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, the Law and Government Academy, the Culinary Arts Academy, the Journalism and Media Academy, High School Inc. (the Insurance and Finance Academy) and the Teaching and Humanities programs at Bulkeley High School.
Nursing Academy students, for example, can earn up to 18 credits toward a bachelor’s degree at the Capital Community College and University of Connecticut nursing programs. Meanwhile, upperclassmen at High School, Inc. are awarded up to 70 paid internships at Hartford area corporations.

Q: If you were a parent with a son or daughter in Hartford Public Schools, what would you say to that parent and why?
As it happens, I am a parent with a daughter in Hartford Public Schools. My advice to other parents in Hartford is to examine our 36 neighborhood school options carefully, visit the schools, talk to the principals and choose the four schools that most fit your child’s needs. I would also urge Hartford parents not to pin their hopes entirely on a lottery where the chances of winning are 1 in 21, when there are excellent school choices close to home right here in Hartford.


Q: If you were a parent from outside the district, what would you say to a parent from outside the district who might be considering sending their child to HPS?
That’s an excellent question. We already enroll more than 2,300 students a year from district’s outside of Hartford and the number continues to grow as we bring more theme schools on line. I would urge that parent to give our schools a serious look and perhaps consult with other out-of-district parents who are sending their children to Hartford. We offer a unique portfolio of schools in Hartford.

Q: Leadership is always important. What qualities and competencies should the next Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools have?
Any superintendent of schools must demonstrate a firm commitment to:
The rich history of the Hartford community and its residents.
Academic success for all students.
And College Readiness.