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As EDUCATE Denver continues its work to engage civic leaders in order to improve student outcomes, our coalition hosted 60 representatives from business, philanthropy, policy, and advocacy last week to discuss the state of Denver’s schools and how the community can rally together to make DPS one of the best districts in the country. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped create such a rich environment of discussion and collaboration.
During the event, guests examined the current state of DPS student performance, heard an update from Mayor Mike Johnston on work at the city-level to support higher quality schools; and learned about forthcoming district-related challenges. Some of the data presented included:
- Race-based achievement gaps persist with a spread that spans nearly 50 percentage points in both reading and math.
- The vast majority of DPS students are still working their way back to pre-pandemic proficiency levels. While White students are largely caught up, Black and Latino students remain one to five percentage points behind their 2018-19 ELA and math performance.
As the group considered this data, we discussed causal factors, including lack of leadership accountability and Denver’s portfolio of mixed-quality schools. The mayor astutely pointed out that only in public education do we perpetually invest in low-quality, low-demand offerings. This contrasts with most free-market scenarios, where unpopular choices are naturally eliminated.
Finally, we considered what it might take to change the situation for the benefit of our students. EDUCATE Denver presented the following areas as key:
Increased leadership accountability: The Denver community wants to know what and how DPS is doing. To support, EDUCATE Denver will soon launch a report card to illuminate whether the Board is moving students toward success, ensuring the safety of our children, supporting parents with appropriate information, and acting as responsible stewards of our public school system. We, too, will call on DPS’ leaders to be accountable for much, much better results.
Right-sizing the district: Over the next three years, DPS is predicted to lose about 3,200 students, resulting in nearly $35 million lost to the district. Such a substantial revenue hit will make it exceedingly difficult to sustain quality programming for students unless the district reduces expenses dramatically. EDUCATE Denver believes DPS must curb its physical footprint by as many as 15-20 schools in order to sustain the supports, enrichment and services our children deserve in every DPS school. While daunting, it is the scale of courageous leadership for which our coalition will call.
Equity of student experience: Key supports within schools are not standard in DPS schools today and differentiated supports have been insufficient in their ability to meet ALL students where they are in terms of their academic and social-emotional development. Understanding and addressing equity challenges in the district will require a thorough, fact-based understanding of our current and desired level of programming. EDUCATE Denver and partners are launching such work to ensure our students have an equitable experience regardless of school selection.
The conversation was important and engaging. Denver’s civic leaders – those who are involved with EDUCATE Denver and those who are not – walked away with heightened concern for Denver’s students. Most importantly, all walked away with a motivation to engage in their success.
Together for students,
The EDUCATE Denver Coalition
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