Print

Lots Of Changes For Hartford Schools

They Include Newly Renovated Magnet School, Early Reading Laboratory

Steven Goode

August 22, 2010

It seems lately that each new school year in the city has been marked by lots of changes in schools and programs.

This year is no different.

The newly renovated Annie Fisher STEM Magnet School is a pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school at 280 Plainfield St. The school, whose acronym stands for science, technology, engineering and math, is intended to produce qualified students for the University High School of Science and Engineering. More than 40 percent of the enrollment this year will be students from surrounding towns.

The new Early Reading Laboratory at Betances School on Charter Oak Avenue will focus on developing above-grade-level readers by the time they are in third grade. It will be open to students from pre-kindergarten to third grade.

The Dwight Bellizzi Asian Studies Academy will focus on Chinese language, culture and history. A dozen faculty members traveled to China for a month of specialized professional development. The pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school will be at two locations. Pre-kindergarten to second-grade students will be in the Dwight Elementary School building at 585 Wethersfield Ave. The rest of the students will be in the former Bellizzi Middle School building at 215 South St. Once renovations at South Street are completed all students will be under the same roof.

The new Mary Hooker Environmental Sciences Magnet School at 200 Sherbrooke Ave. will feature a glass-enclosed plant nursery. Also, the building was renovated to be energy-efficient.

Capitol Preparatory Academy, which has been in the former G. Fox building, will move to the newly renovated former Barnard Brown Elementary School at 1304 Main St.

The Rawson School will also undergo change as it introduces a middle grade academy.

Schools spokesman David Medina said the school system is also likely to consider two policy changes. The board of education is developing a succession policy for the superintendent and other high-level officials, and is considering implementing a nepotism policy. School

Superintendent Steven Adamowski said in a statement that "the district's hopes for the new year are to accelerate what is now a three-year trend toward improved schools and closing the achievement gap.

"This summer, we exceeded our own expectations when the number of schools in the goal range on the CMT and CAPT tests jumped from five to 10. That's 10 schools that have already closed the achievement gap. Many other schools are not that far behind."