Commentary
More than 9,000 Colorado high school students have been on a plan since third grades for students with “significant reading deficiencies.” While we have focused reading interventions on the primary years, clearly the crisis continues through elementary school and well beyond.
We knew the methods we were using to deal with poor attendance weren’t working. We theorized that part of the solution might not look linear. We had to put ourselves in the shoes of our parents and ask ourselves new questions. Why, on the hardest days and in the hardest situations, might I move mountains to get my student to school? And when might I not?
A year after an election that brought in three new Denver school board members, some Denverites are frustrated that little, if anything has changed. Here are some places to look for hopeful signs while we await the November 2025 election.
“Ultimately, the lessons I have learned about leadership will guide me as I continue to contribute everything I can to my community and inspire others to do the same.”
On Monday night, with zero debate, the DPS board approved a $17,326 bonus for Superintendent Alex Marrero – a curious move just days before voters weigh in on a billion-dollar bond package, while negotiations with the teachers union remain unresolved.
From Brian Eschbacher: My goal with this post is to assert a set of facts and opportunities in the hopes it reduces finger-pointing and aligns us all towards making school consolidation decisions as supportive as possible for our students and community. I served as the Executive Director of Planning & Enrollment for DPS from 2011 through 2018, and have created long-term enrollment plans and analyses in more than 20 cities across the country since leaving DPS in 2018.
When a system doesn’t work, there will always be results that are completely avoidable but inevitable because that’s what happens in broken systems.
As someone who teaches U.S. history and emphasizes how the Constitution is a living document, it’s vital that my students understand the election process and how to participate in a way that feels encouraging.
“I don’t believe schools are just places for learning. They’re safe havens for many students who need a break from toxic households or just serve as a place where they can be themselves. A supportive community within a school can make all the difference.”
We’ve been sold college as the only path to social and economic mobility, but when we arrive, we don’t have the tools and knowledge to best navigate it. Was it more important to simply get us to college and not help position us in ways that we could really thrive when we got there?
Boardhawk Podcast Episode 2: School choice window, Youngquist flap, DPS migrant protections
In this episode, Alan Gottlieb and Alexis Menocal Harrigan discuss what they’ll be watching as the Denver Public Schools choice window opens. They also touch briefly on DPS’ vow to protect migrant students, as well as the latest developments in the flap over DPS board member John Youngquist’s objections to possibly illegal executive sessions.