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5 tips for students during Colorado's Free Application Days and college application season

Colorado’s Free Application Days event offers every student across the state the opportunity to apply to college free of cost. But even if students miss the three-day window, they haven’t missed their chance to apply to college or prepare for life after high school.

The days, from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, serve as an unofficial kickoff to the college application season. However, Colorado students shouldn’t feel like they need to rush through the college application process just to meet the free application deadline.

A persistent myth among students is that you have to pay to apply to schools, said Analise Gonzalez-Fine, director of college initiatives at DSST Public Schools, a Denver-area charter school network. But that’s not universally true.

The deadline is fast approaching! It's time to submit your Public Service Loan Forgiveness paperwork.

The deadline to turn in your Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) paperwork is fast approaching. 

FYI on DEI: What you need to know about DEI work at DSST

Here are some of the things our DEI team focused on for the 2021-22 school year.

Back to School Nights give families a fun chance to connect with their students' teachers, school

Over the past couple weeks, each of our schools has held a Back to School Night, which is an opportunity for parents/guardians to meet their student(s)' teachers, get connected to their schools' communications, meet partners and just have some fun.

Student voice: Understanding the impact and importance of Hispanic Heritage Month

A guest post by DSST: Conservatory Green student body president, Aiden H. on the history and importance of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Changing the landscape: How DSST's social work team is confronting systemic barriers impacting mental health support in the Latinx/Hispanic community

September is Hispanic Heritage month and as we honor the culture, we also want to raise awareness of some of the mental health struggles the Latinx/Hispanic community faces. Mental health and mental illness are often stigmatized topics that result in prolonged suffering in silence, which can end in suicide. 

Workday is getting a new look!

Workday is going to look a little different starting Sept. 10. Here is what you need to know about the changes coming to the site.

College doesn't have to mean debt: What to know about DSST's partnership with AdvanceEDU

One of DSST’s driving factors is making sure all students have an equal opportunity for their post-secondary education. We offer many resources designed to help students get to and thrive in a higher-education setting, including a partnership with AdvanceEDU.

DSST supporter, founding board member, Jacquelyn Sullivan talks about why she believes in DSST and its mission

A Q&A with Dr. Jacquelyn Sullivan: DSST supporter and founding board member, Founder of the TeachEngineering digital library, and Co-Founder of the Engineering Plus degree program and the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Laboratory at CU Boulder.

Denver teachers, stoked to see their students, know COVID's legacy is still with them

COVID forced everyone at Denver Public Schools to learn from home during the 2020/2021 school year. Kids were mostly back in classes last year, but things were still a little sideways, and they remain as such.

Madi Perry, a calculus teacher at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School, told us she signed up for an Amazon wishlist for the first time this year. She mostly worried her students’ families would struggle to afford the items on their back-to-school shopping lists.

“I offered folders yesterday, and way over half the class came up and took them from me,” she told us. “Everything I bought has been used. I felt like I was totally right about that.”

Perry also said “massive dips and declines” in academics, which stemmed from the learn-from-home era, are still super apparent.