Commentary
“Reform” vs. “Pro-public Education.” This is a false binary. All school board candidates across the country know that what students need is not as simple as these two categories; yet leading with your values is subjugated by a system that only pretends to have choice.
Van Schoales has been active in Colorado and Denver public education for 30 years, as a teacher, charter school founder and leader, advocacy organization executive, and as an influential voice locally and nationally in education change efforts. Because he has historical perspective on Denver Public Schools, we invited Schoales on the podcast to discuss, among other topics, DPS Supt. Alex Marrero’s new “School Transformation Process,” unveiled earlier this month during a board meeting, as well as other current DPS issues.
Brandon Pryor: “ Marginalized, oppressed people do not have to be nice to you. Marginalized oppressed people do not have to explain how we feel about how we’re being oppressed.”
“Many students are struggling with mental health issues and violence results from that. The city should be partnering with the district and community to address the mental health crisis, which increases during out-of-school times.”
Beyond the emotional support, Haile’s mentorship has had a direct impact on my classroom. The engagement in my class and our routines fundamentally improved because of her guidance. My students benefit daily from the lessons she passed on to me. Her influence reaches beyond her own classroom and into mine, proof of how a single educator can shape a whole school.
An angry letter written by Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero to board President Carrie Olson April 22 accuses board member Joun Youngquist, a veteran educator, of seven serious violations of district protocols and procedures. The jarring letter, which seems motivated more by personal animus than facts, has caused a big stir in Denver education circles.
Youngquist spoke Tuesday with Boardhawk Editor Alan Gottlieb and columnist Alexis Menocal Harrigan about the allegations, his reaction to them, and how he and DPS carry on from here.
There’s no other way to describe the tone of Marrero’s letter than paranoid in the extreme. That board members had it in their possession for more than a week before voting to extend Marrero’s contract and yet voted to give this man an extra two years on the job provides yet further evidence that this board is breaching public trust egregiously.
Listen here to Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the contract extension the Denver school board granted Superintendent Alex Marrero Thursday, May 1.
The five-member majority that voted for the extension displayed an arrogance that made members blissfully unaware of the idiocy of their action and the transparent dishonesty of their stated rationale.
Coach Steve Finesliver: “ It does not serve the best interests of our children or our families to extend the superintendent’s contract. And I’ll go one step further and say the same for continuing his leadership (of DPS).”
Boardhawk podcast season 2, episode 8: The state of educational opportunity in Colorado, with Nicholas Hernández and Marc Porter Magee
50CAN, a national education advocacy organization, and Transform Education Now (TEN), its Colorado affiliate, recently released a report called The State of Educational Opportunity in Colorado, a survey of some 515 parents from across the state. ur guests for this podcast episode are Marc Porter Magee, the founder and CEO of 50CAN, and Nicholas Hernández, the co-founder and executive director of TEN. The Colorado report and national survey data are filled with fascinating insights that say a great deal about current attitudes toward public education, school choice, and parental engagement.