OUR PROJECTS

Connecticut Appleseed continuously tries to reach out to new partners in the state’s communities, looking and listening for unmet needs which we can effectively address. We also confer with our national network of Appleseed affiliates and occasionally collaborate on cross-cutting issues. But most projects are born in the passions of Board members and advanced through the networks and resources of the larger Board.

For example, former Board member Arthur White leveraged his unique experience in founding two successful national non-profits (“Reading is Fundamental” and “Jobs for the Future”) with his role as Educational Advisor to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to conceive our Connecting through Literacy: Incarcerated Parents, their Children and Caregivers (“CLICC”) project. After many years of Arthur’s groundwork, CLICC is now a successful and expanding program that improves the literacy and family relationships for at-risk children who have a parent in a Connecticut prison.

Similarly, Board member Michael D’Agostino leverages his lengthy service chairing the Hamden, CT Board of Education and his current position as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Education Committee to lead Connecticut Appleseed’s education projects. Mike wrote an influential cover letter that accompanied our 2012 report Bullying_in_CTs_Public_Schools-Final_Report featuring Best Practices in preventing bullying that was based on interviews with administrators and teachers in 11 districts by volunteer lawyers from Travelers. Copies were sent within the report’s inside cover to all school board members and administrators in the state.

Our 2011 Keep_Kids_in_School-Improving_School_Discipline was researched, resourced and distributed in similar fashion – thanks in part to Michael’s close relationships with the CT Association of School Superintendents (CAPSS) and the CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE). When a Bloomfield, CT Assistant Superintendent suggested a study explaining more recent district success in improving school climate, Michael’s reputation and relationships enabled both our access to the CT Dept. of Education’s disciplinary data and our recruitment of CIGNA’s Legal Dept. to conduct the necessary interviews.