December 10, 2003

Borrero To Head Hartford School Board

I. Michael Borrero, a long-time professor at the School of Social Work, was unanimously elected chairman of the Hartford Board of Education during a board meeting December 3.

Borrero, who retired from UConn this summer, was elected to the Hartford board in 2002. He served as the board's vice-chairman during the past year, and will be its chairman at least until December 2004.

Borrero says he will work with the city's educational administration to continue improving academic performance in the schools, but says the board must bring parents into the mix in order to progress.

"For academic achievement to continue, we have to set in motion a set of services for parents, youth, and community. It must be a comprehensive approach," he says. "I will work to foster better cooperation, collaboration and integration between a host of city and state services. The bottom line is asking the parents, 'How can I help you to help your child?' How can I help them become the parent they want to be?"

Borrero, well known in Hartford and the nation for his work with youths and gang members, will return to the School of Social Work in the spring to teach a course on how to work with violent youths.