DSST prepares its Hispanic, Black, and low-income students for college-level math at two to three times the district rate. Its low-income readiness in 2025 was 39.5%, about 2.6 times the state’s rate for the same students. Much of what makes Denver look better than the state turns out to be concentrated in a single charter school network.
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.
The big-district superintendent pipeline has run dry. What can school boards do? Read More »
What struck me most in reading about Dr. Gladys West’s life was not only her brilliance, but her perseverance. A deep love of geometry sparked a career that unfolded in the face of profound racial and gender discrimination, in an era when Black women were systematically excluded from advanced mathematics and scientific fields. Her story raises an uncomfortable question closer to home. Are Denver’s public schools systematically cultivating the next generation of Gladys Wests, or are they leaving that talent unrealized?
Is Denver Public Schools capable of producing the next Gladys West? Read More »
For many education reformers, this moment marks not only the end of portfolio management in Denver but the end of any real hope for sustained academic improvement, particularly for low-income students and students of color. While I remain a strong proponent of portfolio management, that conclusion is too simplistic and ultimately too pessimistic. There is still reason for cautious optimism, even under a centralized governance model that many of the reformers of the last decade instinctively distrust. Traditional, centrally managed districts, when led well, can improve student outcomes.
I have decided to not participate in this year’s school board election, having followed and/or been involved in some way in more than a dozen such elections over the last 20 years. I will not contribute money to any campaigns, do any fundraising or any other work on any school board races. Instead, I want to do more observation, learning, and reflection as a grizzled old public education advocate.
A grizzled veteran’s long view of 2025 Denver school board races Read More »
While the new board may remain deeply divided with the new board members in the minority, the momentum towards having a new board majority and agenda is strong and growing. The magnitude and pace of the board’s new agenda will depend entirely on who leads the board.
Schoales: Six likely areas for change with new DPS board Read More »
The reality here in Denver is that the reformers over the decades have been varied in their outlooks, and have spanned all parts of the educational system. They have been teachers (sometimes even teacher union leaders), principals, central office administrators, and a series of three superintendents.
What does education reform mean in Denver now? And where are its leaders? Read More »
DPS must tell parents and community what is happening. They deserve the truth. And if the district can’t come up with a plan for how to better meet the needs of 58,000 Denver students, others in Denver need to step up.
Ignoring Denver’s dismal NAEP results won’t make them vanish Read More »
Last Friday’s letter to the community from Denver Public Schools Superintendent Marrero was a remarkable exemplar of what has become the norm these days for politicians of all stripes. Undermine data, ignore reality, and create a new narrative.
Denver Public Schools’ dangerous, data-less spin Read More »
DPS still has an opportunity to keep this process from devolving into a fiasco, but that will require the district to address the impacts on families who will be directly affected by any school closure.
Denver school closure criteria seem far removed from equity Read More »
