In a sign that charter school growth in Denver could be slowing, the district’s largest network for the first time will not immediately open a high school to complement one of its middle schools.
This month, beginning with National Charter Schools Week, we will feature stories from charter school graduates from across the country. Check back every day to see a new student feature in our 30 Days of Grad series.
First, we want to again acknowledge that changing benefits is very difficult and we apologize for the disruption this may have caused to you and your family. Please know that we are here to support you through this transition. You can reach out to us anytime for 1-1 support by e-mail or calling 866-307-6096 (new Aetna concierge service who will act as your personal assistant for understanding your benefits).
This is the week when many of next year’s 2.3 million college freshmen will officially choose where to attend school next fall as a part of college signing day. It is an exciting and important moment in the lives of those students and their families. But only about 60 percent will ever earn their degrees, meaning nearly 1 million of today’s joyous families will soon likely feel like failures. We would never accept a graduation rate this low in America’s high schools, and we shouldn’t for America’s colleges and universities.
Last week, we saw each of our graduating seniors walk across the Denver Coliseum stage and announce where they’d be attending college next year. Thrilling moments of accomplishment like these would be impossible without our amazing teachers and staff. Each day, you dedicate yourselves to helping our students become the best versions of themselves. That’s why we’re excited to provide extra special recognition during Teacher Appreciation Week!
Congratulations Team for being named a Top Workplace in Colorado! It is an honor to work on a team where all of us show up every day with dedication and determination to make a difference in the lives of children across this city. Since our founding, we have committed to being a people first organization that serves our students and creates a great place for our team members to go to work every day. This recognition validates the work we all invest in each other to make DSST a place where each one of us can thrive.
In Colorado, 61 public schools earned a College Success Award in 2019 based on their success in preparing students for college and ultimately career. The College Success awards recognize public high schools that stand out in getting students enrolled in - and staying with - college.
The segregation of America’s public schools is a perpetual newsmaker. The fact that not even 1 percent of the incoming freshman class identifies as black at New York City’s elite Stuyvesant High School made national headlines last month. And New York isn’t unusual. The minority gap in enrollment at elite academic public schools is a problem across America.
Four months ago, hundreds of high school seniors took a small step toward a bigger future by applying to become a Greenhouse Scholar. Ambitious leaders relentless in the pursuit of their dreams, these applicants share a common trait—a desire to positively and indefinitely impact the families and communities in their midst.
The education reform movement as we have known it is over. Top-down federal and state reforms along with big-city reforms have stalled. The political winds for education change have shifted dramatically. Something has ended, and we must learn the lessons of what the movement got right—and wrong.
