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DPS board affirms controversial Lake plan
Written by Nancy Mitchell on Dec 18th, 2009. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
I eagerly anticipate the arrival of West Denver Prep on the northside. I have been involved with DPS schools for the past four years, and worked two years at North High and most recently at Academia Sandoval. The disparity between white (not Hispanic) and Hispanic students at the majority of schools is incredibly troubling. The fact that West Denver Prep can address and bridge the gap is wonderful, and I welcome a system of learning that can equal the playing field for the two groups that make up the majority of the NW population.
I do not see an “if… then” correlation between the advent of WDP and the further demise of NW middle schools. What I see clearly is almost half of NW Denver’s student population being left behind as their Anglo counterparts consistently perform better. Elisa Cohen, editor of The North Denver Tribune, has extracted some salient screens from the DPS School Performance Framework (SPF) reports that show in painful graphic detail the gaps between white and Hispanic students at several schools, including Hill Middle School. (http://www.northdenvertribune.com/site-map/2009-dps-data/)
The inclusion of Hill is important because Hill’s model is often cited as a potential model for Skinner. Yet notice the wide performance gap between the two populations. This is not the type of model we need to emulate in our community. We need ALL of our students to be educated in the most efficient, positive manner. WDP has proven that they can do this.
Nicole Veltze, Principal at Skinner, is an incredible leader who has initiated many positive changes at her school. The percentage increases are heartening, but how many years of incremental improvements will it take for Skinner’s Hispanic population to excel the way WDP’s does?
Skinner is my children’s future middle school. I want to see the campus thrive and excel. But even more, I want all the children in my community to have access to the best possible education right now. WDP can provide that right now.