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.
Last month, College View High School celebrated 100% of their founding class being admitted into college. Almost 90% of these graduates will be the first generation of their families to attend college next year. This class is full of dedicated and resilient students- and two of them are deeply involved in immigrant rights activism, both locally and nationwide. Fabi and Jasmine, activists and good friends, shared some highlights of their work, and their hopes and dreams for the years to come.
Decades of research show that students are best served in diverse and equitable schools. Diversity enhances learning environments, inspiring reduced racial bias, increased student creativity, better developed problem-solving skills, and higher average test scores for students in integrated schools. 1 These well documented benefits, however, are often stymied when schools achieve only numerical diversity without truly taking steps to maximize relationship building across racial and economic difference.
Recent teacher strikes across American opened people’s eyes to the chronic underfunding of public schools and spurred several states to increase investments in education. For that, we should be grateful. But the rhetoric accompanying the strikes in West Virginia, Los Angeles, Oakland, Calif., and elsewhere has made charter schools sound like an enemy of public education. They are not, and my fellow Democrats shouldn’t fall for it.
To view more information about DSST benefits update go to https://tinyurl.com/DSST-Benefits
High Schoolers at DSST: Stapleton have been visiting the Balfour Senior Living Center in Stapleton as part of both the Critical Skills Development (life skills taught in 11th grade) course and the Service Club, the trips are led by staff Lara Thomas, Cory Hofschild, and Marla Lee.
School choice is based on one simple but powerful principle: parents should have the ability to send their kids to any school that will help their children thrive.
The last time I had this queasy feeling about where education is headed, it was 2010 and I was midway through a book about Michelle Rhee’s turn as superintendent of D.C. Public Schools. When I started the book, she was flying high in the press; before I was done, her media stock had plummeted.
Every one of our graduating seniors has a fascinating story to tell - and there are some we have been fortunate enough to learn about through a short but powerful 500 word college essay. One of those is DSST: Cole senior Reem , who opened up about shattering beauty norms that were unconsciously enforced by both family members and society at large.
The first time Heather Martin experienced a lockdown drill, the traumatic memories from her past resurfaced.
