Teacher Diversity and Student Learning
As students have returned to school, they have been greeted by teachers who, more likely than not,...
09/11/18
Teacher Diversity and Student Learning
As students have returned to school, they have been greeted by teachers who, more likely than not, are white women. That means many students will be continuing to see teachers who are a different gender than they are, and a different skin color.
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09/10/18
Peer and student survey window now open
The Peer and Student Survey Window is open!
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09/10/18
Diagnostic observations happening now
Diagnostic Observations will take place from September 10th to September 27th!
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09/10/18
"Super Search" timeline extended
The Denver school board has pushed back the date by which it will name finalists for the superintendent job from October to November. The extension follows objections to what some students and parents said was a too-tight timeline for gathering community feedback, and a rocky start to that process. One heated exchange at a community meeting has even led to a police investigation.
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09/07/18
At Our Core: The Power of Parent Advocacy
During challenging weeks and joyous milestones in student achievement alike, strong parent advocacy and family engagement remain essential to our mission and the success of our students. The magic of parent advocacy was at work during this week’s Community Meeting at Cole. Staff, DSST: Cole & CASA families, DPS, and DPD came together to discuss last week’s events and how to best move forward. The meeting was not approached without some trepidation, especially after a whirlwind of parent fear and frustration. But what actually happened was incredible. Parents spoke out respectfully and with sincere concern for the staff and students across the entire campus, ending in tears of compassion and a new resolve to come together more often. Instead of being critical or dismissive of the school and making plans to leave the community, parents approached the problem with suggestions on reaching out to students and creating a safer place for their children to thrive. While the reasons for the meeting were heavy, the amount of parents constructively sharing their concerns as well as their desire to affect change was incredibly uplifting.
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09/07/18
Do charter schools take districts' money?
ow would you respond if you stumbled across a headline that asked, “How much do farmers markets cost Walmart?” It’s a ridiculous question. It presupposes that the customer belongs to Walmart; that any time the individual chooses to buy cucumbers from a local grower or salsa from an aspiring entrepreneur, he or she is “robbing” the dominant grocer. That’s just absurd. Yet this is the standard frame we use when talking about education. We blithely assume that education is wholly different from any other field.
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09/04/18
Rocky Mountain Divide
Persistent growth in skill requirements on the job and low unemployment has forced Colorado to compete for skilled labor nationwide, but that threatens to leave Coloradans born in the state behind in the competition for middle class jobs— especially Latinos with a high school education or less.
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08/31/18
A Letter to DSST Staff
In a difficult week, the genuine voices of our parents offer great comfort and perspective. We have had heart-wrenching conversations with parents across our network this week. We wanted to share one letter from some amazing Cole parents because it sums up our overall feeling of appreciation and love for all teachers out there:
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08/31/18
At Our Core: Superintendent Search
As you likely already know, Tom Boasberg, Denver Public Schools’ Superintendent of nearly 10 years, will be stepping down October 19th. The search for the new Superintendent will be executed in three phases, with the goal of having a new leader selected later this fall. We need your help in having our collective voices heard in this search.
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08/31/18
GoFundMe for Cole Family
On 8/28 a shooting occurred directly outside of our DSST: Cole campus, critically injuring a student. We are opening this fundraiser in hopes of raising money to support the student and their family during this incredibly difficult time. Our staff has been in touch with the student and his family and this fund will completely benefit them. Thank you for your support and feel welcome to share this with your community.
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