Commentary

Boardhawk’s new community reporter, T. Michael Boddie, introduces himself. “People deserve the confidence that not just teachers, but districts and other community leaders are doing all they can to nurture students’ abilities and talents through education.”

Two educators from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College write: As challenging as the last year has been, we’re heartened that our students have had more questions about politics and current events than we’ve seen before in our careers.

Our teaching of The Dream and The Dreamer must begin here: In the uncomfortable space that affirms that this country continues to bounce the check of equality and justice issued to citizens of color. 

This week’s Colorado Department of Education data release on 2020 graduation rates carries an unfortunate whiff of spin and happy-talk at a time when we should instead be trying to assess the impacts the pandemic has had on student learning.

Images of hate-fueled extremists marauding through the U.S. Capitol help highlight how narrow and in some ways trivial the divisions on education policy are in Denver. Surely we can find ways to come together, or at least keep our disagreements civil.

Anyone who has been around the district for a number of years knows that DPS’ history of failed community engagement efforts is long and unfortunate. Let’s hope that is about to change. 

The selection of Dwight Jones as interim superintendent shows that the Denver school board decided, at least this once, to favor competence and experience over ideology.

Denver is but a microcosm of the dilemma facing Democrats across the country as they are the ones running most big-city school systems and, come Jan. 20, the executive branch of the federal government.

What we will offer when our first school launches is unlike any other school in Illinois or the nation: world-class career preparation coupled with rigorous academics. Our kids deserve no less. We are hoping our work will capture the attention of the incoming Biden administration. We believe our model has national potential.

An elected mayor calling for the board to abdicate its primary constitutional responsibility of hiring a superintendent and former school board members making accusations without evidence only serves to confirm the view of many stakeholders that they can’t count on elected officials to tell the truth or to do the right thing.