Get Boardhawk in your inbox

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Boardhawk

From a high school senior: Students can thrive with the proper support, investments

By / / Leave a Comment

Recently, I’ve heard people question whether Denver should make another investment in our schools because of the disagreements and challenges happening among adults in the district. As a student, that is hard for me to understand. Whatever concerns adults have about leadership, governance, or accountability, taking investment away from students because of adult behavior feels like punishing us for decisions we did not make.

From a high school senior: Students can thrive with the proper support, investments Read More »

Podcast season 2, episode 26: Denver school board censures Director Monica Hunter. Now, please get back to the real work

By / / Leave a Comment

The Denver school board on Thursday, October 8, censured Director Monica Hunter for allegedly making anti-Semitic statements about a fellow board member. The censure followed a quick investigation by an outside party, and while the findings of the investigation were inconclusive, the board decided on a 4-2 vote that there was enough evidence to merit the censure. Potential conflicts of interest with Hunter’s employment also contributed to the decision to censure her. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the fallout.

Podcast season 2, episode 26: Denver school board censures Director Monica Hunter. Now, please get back to the real work Read More »

A headshot of a man leaning against an orange wall with his arms crossed. He is wearing a navy blue suit and has brown hair and a beard.

Podcast season 2 episode 25: DJ Torres resigns from the DPS board. Now what?

By / / Leave a Comment

News broke midday Thursday that DJ Torres, who has served on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, had resigned, effective immediately. So what happens now? And how will this affect the problematic board dynamics? We invited to the podcast to discuss this Parker Baxter, Scholar in Residence and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the School of Pubic Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Baxter is also a lawyer, and spent 20 years working on education policy, including a stint in the central office of Denver Public Schools during the Tom Boasberg era.

Podcast season 2 episode 25: DJ Torres resigns from the DPS board. Now what? Read More »

A graphic of two headshots side by side. The one on the left is a bald man in a suit with a beard and glasses. The one on the right is a dark-haired woman with glasses.

Podcast season 2, episode 24: The highly suspect timing of allegations against DPS board member Monica Hunter, and moving forward from here

By / / Leave a Comment

Alleged antisemitic statements by Denver school board member Monica Hunter aimed at her colleague Amy Klein Molk are problematic. Equally troubling, however, is why the superintendent and board president sat on them for nine months until it became politically expedient to release them. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss whether board relationships and trust in board President Xóchitl Gaytán and Superintendent Alex Marrero are irreparably damaged, and if so, what should happen as a result.

Podcast season 2, episode 24: The highly suspect timing of allegations against DPS board member Monica Hunter, and moving forward from here Read More »

A graphic reading, "As the DPS Turns."

Podcast season 2, episode 23: The Denver school board drama drags on — investigation into alleged antisemitic comments OK’d

By / / Leave a Comment

The Denver school board on Thursday, Sept. 17 voted unanimously to launch an investigation into allegations that board Director Monica Hunter made anti-semitic comments about fellow board member Amy Klein Molk, who is Jewish. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the meeting’s bizarre twists and turns, and impacts on Denver Public Schools students, with Nicholas Hernández, executive director of the advocacy group Transform Education Now.

Podcast season 2, episode 23: The Denver school board drama drags on — investigation into alleged antisemitic comments OK’d Read More »

DPS logo

Strong remarks at tonight’s Denver school board public comment session

By / / Leave a Comment

At the September 17 Denver Public Schools Board of Education public comment session, 14 people addressed the board and community about allegations leveled against two board members by the board President Xóchitl Gaytán, with an assist from Superintendent Alex Marrero. Two comments stood out, so we are publishing them here.

Strong remarks at tonight’s Denver school board public comment session Read More »

A set of bar charts comparing 2026 DPS test score growth by race and ethnicity, and 2026 DPS test score growth by income.

Podcast season 2, episode 21: A deep dive into Denver’s 2026 test score data, state rating

By / / Leave a Comment

Last week, Boardhawk published a detailed analysis of Denver Public Schools’ 2026 state test score (CMAS) data, as well as an evaluation of the state school performance framework rating of DPS. We invited the author of the piece, Cody Ostenson, on the podcast to discuss the findings.

Podcast season 2, episode 21: A deep dive into Denver’s 2026 test score data, state rating Read More »

A photo of a schoolchild's hand gripping a pencil and writing something on a piece of paper.

Podcast season 2, episode 20: The truth about Colorado’s national education ranking

By / / Leave a Comment

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.

Podcast season 2, episode 20: The truth about Colorado’s national education ranking Read More »