Van Schoales has been active in Colorado and Denver public education for 30 years, as a teacher, charter school founder and leader, advocacy organization executive, and as an influential voice locally and nationally in education change efforts.
Because he has historical perspective on Denver Public Schools, we invited Schoales on the podcast to discuss, among other topics, DPS Supt. Alex Marrero’s new “School Transformation Process,” unveiled earlier this month during a board meeting, as well as other current DPS issues.
The School Transformation Process is remarkable for its similarity to the School Performance Compact developed during the years Tom Boasberg served as DPS superintendent. Much of Boasberg’s approach to school improvement has been repudiated by the current board and superintendent, so it is more than a little ironic that they are now, shall we say, borrowing liberally from the Boasberg approach, while claiming it for their own.
It just goes to show that, as the old song says, “Everything Old is New Again.”
This episode also addresses issues including the Marrero contract extension and the accusations leveled by Marrero against board member John Youngquist.
Parental advisory: This podcast episode contains some salty language not appropriate for the ears of young children.
