Listen to cohosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss with educator and advocate Van Schoales how new test score data calls into question Colorado’s bragging rights about being the number one state in the nation for public education. This post also includes a transcript of the conversation, for those of you who prefer reading to listening.
Commentary
Not long ago, the right superintendent, especially a non-traditional one, could land on the cover of Time, get regular New York Times coverage, and pull in serious money from Gates, Walton, Broad and other foundations to remake a district. That’s a different world than the one Jeffco, Cherry Creek and Denver are hiring into right now.
In a sterling example of pretzel logic, a new Denver Post editorial argues that because Marrero wants to leave, and because the district has spent well over $100,000 on a (possibly corrupt) mentor and international travel to conferences (generally referred to as professional development), Marrero should be forced to stay through the end of his contract in 2028.
On our 250th, let’s hope political divisions won’t keep us from agreeing on one simple idea: that a democracy depends on students who are literate and who have a solid understanding of our history.
This DPS regime has shown minimal interest in deeply examining data and taking concrete steps to improve matters. It seems focused instead on making Marrero look good so he can slip out the door into a bigger job in a bigger city, with a bigger salary.
What I’ve come to learn is that effective school teams are not much different than effective basketball teams. That the decisions made in film sessions, player meetings, and the front office are similar in importance to school board meetings, professional developments, and the central office. And that if winning is our goal (i.e. getting results alongside students), you have to have a feel for the game AND understand analytics.
When students spend every passing period, lunch period, and free moment looking at a screen, we lose opportunities for human connection. We lose opportunities for friendship, community, and belonging. We lose opportunities for trusted adults to notice when a student may be struggling.
Not all co-locations feel the same. Some create a sense of direct competition; others feel more complementary. That distinction matters because successful co-location requires more than operational efficiency. It requires trust, structure, and intentional partnership.
You can now listen and/or watch us on YouTube, also embedded in this article!
Our guest for this episode is Pat Donovan, who has been a leading Denver public-education advocate for many years. He led the advocacy and funding organization RootED, held a top leadership position at its successor, Denver Families for Public Schools. He heads the board of Rocky Mountain Prep, one of Denver’s largest, homegrown charter school networks. He’s also a board member at the Colorado League of Charter Schools.
Donovan has a long perspective on a variety of trends in Denver Public Schools, including how well the district is preparing students for life after high school and the narrowing of school choice. We invited Pat on for a wide-ranging discussion on these and other DPS-related topics.
Boardhawk wanted former Denver school board member Scott Esserman on the podcast because we vigorously disagreed with him on a range of Denver Public Schools issues during his tenure, and wrote about him in a harshly critical tone on several occasions. At times the tone of those criticisms might have obscured the substantive differences in policy and philosophy that underlay them. Some of those disagreements include the performance of Superintendent Alex Marrero, whether DPS is headed n the right direction, Marrero’s contract extension, and school safety.
Yes, there are bright spots, but new state test results show Colorado is far from number one
While Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other officials trumpet Colorado’s national top education ranking as reported by one magazine, new test score data reveal a very different reality. Read this deep dive into the new data.