Commentary
In this episode of the Boardhawk podcast, hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb have an in-depth discussion on 2025 state test score results for Denver with educational consult and data expert Maya Lagana. While there are some sings of post-pandemic improvement, the data show that low-income students of color in Denver Public Schools continue to struggle academically, and achievement gaps have widened substantially since CMAS’ first year, 2017.
From Boardhawk columnist Dr. Aaron Massey: Here are a few things that are truly happening in education that are impacting its current state of affairs.
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.
instead of just learning about their theoretical stances that they squeezed into whatever political box was closest to them , there are additional questions that we should be asking candidates to better understand how school board candidates plan on being productive in the seat.
At a time when the country is run by a president and administration who are demonstrably racist, savaging people on racial grounds with whom you have minor differences is self-destructive in the extreme.
“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.
Podcast Season 2, episode 17: Is Superintendent Marrero trying to exit Denver with 346K in taxpayer money?
In this episode, co-host Alan Gottlieb analyzes Marrero’s letter and his employment contract with former Denver school board member Theresa Peña, a tireless advocate for Denver’s most vulnerable children. How the letter and contract’s language paly off each other seem ot indicate that Marrero intends to walk away from the district with a big payout, perhaps as soon as early July.