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
From Boardhawk columnist Dr. Aaron Massey: Here are three reasons why the U. S. Department of Education is on the chopping block, why it makes sense that it’s on the chopping block, but why it should still exist.
For many years, DPS has boasted stellar scores among its more affluent, white, and Asian students. Why the district has struggled more than other urban school systems to transfer that success to the students who need it most remains a puzzle that needs solving.
In this episode, Alan Gottlieb and Alexis Menocal Harrigan discuss the Denver Public Schools board’s early moves toward redrawing the district school enrollment boundaries. This is long overdue, and has potentially profound implications for the district and its families and students.
The discussion of school enrollment boundaries and zones should not be isolated and instead should be considered in the context of school choice and the type of schools we offer and where those highly desired schools like Denver School of the Arts and Morey are located or replicated.
If it hadn’t been for a college visit to the University of Denver, I think I would have followed the stereotype expected of a person like me. I walked that campus as a ninth-grader and told myself, “This is where I belong.”
Having more diverse school psychologists is one key to building more cultural competence within schools. So why isn’t the field more diverse?
Today we are talking about recent immigration activities in our community and the effect it is having on DPS families. We are also welcoming another guest onto the podcast, Jorge Castañeda, a Denver-based immigration attorney.
The SHIFT Chronicles is a new monthly feature dedicated to amplifying student voices, where those most impacted by the public education system share their thoughts, reflections, and experiences. This month’s articles respond to the following prompt: The value of learning the truth of history. Reflections on visiting the African American History Museum and the Holocaust Museum in DC.
The following statement from EDUCATE Denver was intended for the February 6 Denver school board public comment session. However, due to the board’s strict new limitations on public comment, the author was unable to secure a speaking slot.
SHIFT Chronicles: What policymakers should know about student lived experience
This month’s articles respond to the following prompt: Most people who are making decisions about schools and how we are educated are disconnected from our current lived realities as students. As a student this is what I think they should know about those current realities and this is what I would do if I were in charge.