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.
Commentary
If you want to know how to solve crime, depression, inequity, damn racism, sexism, all them isms. If you want to know how to do that, come holler at education.Â
My charter high school did an excellent job providing students of color with different opportunities like internships and extracurricular activities, but I wonder if these resources are also available and known to students in other nearby schools.Â
Last Friday’s board work session was refreshing. The meeting was a thoughtful discussion among peers who were asking questions of prepared and informed staff on topics that matter — the welfare and academic achievement of children.Â
When I think about community impact, it is about the connections you make, it’s about knowing the community and understanding its problems enough to make real change. When I needed help throughout my life, those true connections were there to help me understand my next steps.
I fear that as long as board members with Esserman’s outlook continue to drive the agenda in urban schools, student success that reaches across all demographic groups will remain elusive. It’s hard to fix what you refuse to measure.
If we can first agree that multiple, valuable truths exist simultaneously in education: congratulations! We made it to our first agreement.
During this open enrollment season, we encourage parents to explore charter school options, and we’ve highlighted resources to help inform that decision below.
More than 2,200 new students have arrived since the start of the school year. DPS has been planning for slow, steady enrollment declines for the foreseeable future, and this throws planning into disarray. There’s no way to know how long the influx will continue, how many of the new arrivals will stay, or for how long.
In this inaugural piece by new Boardhawk columnist Alexis Menocal Harrigan, she argues that the Denver school board’s foot-dragging on drawing new director district essentially disenfranchises some voters.
From Ednium: Lead authentically as yourself
What if all leaders of color felt advocated for, sponsored and supported to be leaders in their communities, the way I did as a first-grader?