Get Boardhawk in your inbox

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

Van Schoales

A graphic showing Colorado teacher turnover by county, 2023-24.

Nowhere to live, no one to teach — the rural teaching dilemma by the numbers

By / / Leave a Comment

Students across rural Colorado have been back in school for a few weeks now. In far too many of their classrooms, they were greeted by a brand-new teacher. In some, they’ll find a rotating substitute, a class merged into one down the hall, or simply no permanent teacher at all, because the position was never filled. While not a perfect proxy for teacher effectiveness, the data that is available on turnover, vacancies, and certifications are the best available proxies we have in Colorado.

Nowhere to live, no one to teach — the rural teaching dilemma by the numbers Read More »

A bar chart titled, "The preparation gap and the college-going gap track each other."

Colorado and Denver’s low-income students aren’t ready for college. A few schools prove it doesn’t have to be that way.

By / / Leave a Comment

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.

Colorado and Denver’s low-income students aren’t ready for college. A few schools prove it doesn’t have to be that way. Read More »

A photo of a large pipe in the middle of a desert. The end of the pipe is littered with tumbleweeds, and there is sludge coming out of it.

The big-district superintendent pipeline has run dry. What can school boards do?

By / / Leave a Comment

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 »

Late mathematician Dr. Gladys West beside husband Ira West.

Is Denver Public Schools capable of producing the next Gladys West?

By / / 1 Comment

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 »

An illustration of a scale with a stack of books on both sides, one labeled "portfolio management" and the other labeled "top-down management."

Despite a return to top-down management, all is not lost for Denver Public Schools students

By / / 2 Comments

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.

Despite a return to top-down management, all is not lost for Denver Public Schools students Read More »

A graphic of the DPS logo with lightning in the background.

A grizzled veteran’s long view of 2025 Denver school board races

By / / Leave a Comment

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 »