The Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington says a recent study found that Connecticut students of color were much more likely to receive a poorly rated education than white students.

Education attorney Jeffrey Forte says the Connecticut state Department of Education is pushing for cultural history in schools, but much more is needed.

"We need to focus on teaching our kids in the inner cities the basics so that they can go on to get jobs or go to post-secondary education," says Forte. "And that's what this report, a pretty damning report is all about."

Education attorney Preston Tisdale agrees, saying, "You don't need to be an expert to see that there's a tremendous disparity in the resources that are made available to those schools that need it the most."

Tisdale says a solution is to understand our past and to acknowledge our past.

The Connecticut state Department of Education says it has addressed the concerns in the report by devoting additional funding, resources and support to improve the educational experience of hundreds of thousands of traditionally underserved students in the state.