Like many urban school districts at the turn of the century, Denver Public Schools (DPS) struggled with underperforming schools and a significant decline in enrollment in the early 2000s. By 2005, nearly a third of the seats inside the district were empty and around 15 percent of students had left for private or suburban schools.
The need for high quality education so that all students could succeed in this new 21st century world was clear. Denver School for Science and Technology (DSST) started in fall of 2004 with founding Principal Bill Kurtz in the Stapleton neighborhood. This high school was part of an innovative change within education to focus on STEM subjects for all students regardless of their background with the goal of providing the tools and knowledge to be successful in a four-year college.
The school was founded with the idea of integrating six core values with academic rigour so that the students would not only learn skills to be successful in college or career. It was vital to Kurtz and his team that students find their voice and learn the soft skills needed outside of the classroom in addition to having confidence within. It was clear four years later that this model was successful when the first graduating class in 2008 had a 100 percent college acceptance rate.
As the years passed, DSST’s influence grew. After starting with the flagship DSST: Stapleton High School, the network (now known as DSST Public Schools) has grown to seven middle schools and six high schools. Each graduating class has had 100 percent of students accepted into a four-year college or university, including some of the top schools in the country.
(Timeline of schools)
While the network has grown, the DSST mission remains the same: providing high quality STEM education and character development in intentionally integrated schools. Bill Kurtz, who is now DSST’s CEO, continues to be a powerful voice and advocate for ending educational inequity with a focus on community and student voice.
Resources:
Article: Denver explands choice and charters
A+ Schools: Start with the facts (2005-2010 student data)
74Million: 10 years of 100% acceptance