Episode 1: Inaugural Boardhawk podcast
Boardhawk is launching a biweekly podcast in January. Here is an introductory episode, where we introduce ourselves and describe what our listeners can expect
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A year in, new Denver school board members’ impact has been incremental
A year after an election that brought in three new Denver school board members, some Denverites are frustrated that little, if anything has changed. Here are some places to look for hopeful signs while we await the November 2025 election.
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Former superintendents Bennet and Boasberg make an affirmative case for their Denver reforms
As political winds shifted over the past five years, critics, including board and district leadership, have pummeled Bennet and Boasberg, calling them, among other things, white supremacists and enablers of racist and oppressive systems. Both men are politically astute, and have chosen not to address those insults directly. This white paper as their oblique way of refuting those unjust and hyperbolic critiques.
DPS spins test results, but truth is plain to see
It is true that DPS students and subgroups of students (low-income students and kids of color) outpaced the state on growth measures in many areas. But at the rate that many DPS students are growing, they will never reach grade-level proficiency. That has profound implications for their futures, and is hardly cause for celebration.
DPS spins test results, but truth is plain to see Read More »
Marrero’s $100,000 corner office: Long live the hierarchy!
Consider the message sent by spending almost $100,000 to deconstruct the egalitarian philosophy that drove Denver Public Schools management for more than a decade. The superintendent’s corner office with a bank of windows looking over downtown and the soundproofing all but scream: ”Stay away. I have no time for the likes of you. And what happens behind that door is none of your damned business.”
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New DPS board members must push for a real, external evaluation of Marrero
This fall’s superintendent evaluation will be a waste of everyone’s time. But it’s not too soon to start searching for a reputable, national organization to conduct a 360 evaluation of Superintendent Alex Marrero.
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Denver innovation zones are an endangered species
While the current board appears marginally more open to innovation than its predecessor, the administration of Superintendent Alex Marrero still seems hostile to the concept, and could continue chipping away at autonomies and funding mechanisms that make a zone viable.
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Manage like an ostrich: Marrero eliminates principal feedback on his leadership
In years past, school leaders could rate Marrero and other senior leaders on a series of Likert Scale questions. For example: “Overall is an effective leader.” “Is a person whom I trust.” “Models the DPS values.” “Is reflective, open to and grows from feedback.” That opportunity has vanished into thin air.
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Anti-charter-school bill is ludicrous in its overreach
The bill is guilty of such laughable overreach that it seems all but certain to die in committee. But no one should rest easy until and unless this actually occurs.
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Colorado’s persistent reading crisis: “Do not look away.”
Large numbers of students in upper elementary, middle school, and high school lack reading proficiency and, if current trends continue, are never going to catch up.
Colorado’s persistent reading crisis: “Do not look away.” Read More »