Report highlights DPS progress, challenges

A report from three education advocacy groups lauds some gains in Denver but cites widening achievement gaps and results lagging state averages

Thursday Churn: Report dissects Title I

Read up on Title I spending, a possible Metro State name change and federal grants to boost teacher quality while connecting colleges and K-12

Wednesday churn: Manual HS goes long

Manual High School is getting a longer school year, and Colorado Mesa President Tim Foster goes to Washington.

Opinion: Why “Gen Y” teachers supported SB 10-191

In the Spring of 2010 I testified, with some other teachers, to the Colorado House and Senate Education Committees in support of SB 10-191, a bill that included major changes to the way teachers and principals are evaluated and retained.  I was one of a few teachers supporting the bill who had more than five years of teaching experience.

The fact that most of the teachers supporting the bill were less experienced teachers did not go unnoticed by legislators sitting on the committees.  Every time a teacher would introduce him or herself to the committee an opponent would be sure to ask how much experience he or she had.  (They failed to ask me how many years I had been teaching. Sixteen for me.) It was obvious that the opponents of the bill felt that less experienced, or younger teachers, did not have any credibility.

The assumption by opponents that more experienced teachers were against the bill had some merit.  Anecdotally, and in my exchanges with colleagues, I would agree that the less experienced and younger teachers were more favorable towards the bill. The opponents of SB 10-191 were valuing the years of teachers’ experience, which these days, flies in the face of many reform advocates who devalue veteran teachers.  Were the legislators operating off an assumption that the younger, less experienced teachers did not know any better?

Why the generational divide among teacher on SB 10-191?

I could never put my finger on why a divide existed between the various generations of teachers on the merits of SB 10-191.  There are some stark differences in how the older, veteran teachers view their profession in comparison to younger, less experienced teachers.

Designing school buildings for 21st century learning

Our country is abuzz with talk about 21^st century learning. We chatter about global competition and the need for innovation. We bemoan the shortage of a well-prepared work force and cry out for systems to more equitably serve all students. Yet when it comes to the design of educational facilities, we are stuck in a time-warp. If he awoke today, Rip Van Winkle would probably recognize our schools. We can do better. We must.

There is plenty of research to guide robust school designs. The National Research Council (How People Learn, 2002) says we learn best through: 1) active, inquiry-based learning experiences that foster curiosity; 2) in-depth projects through which we make application and find relevance; and 3) performance assessment where we exhibit evidence of our skills and show what we know. But we don’t need rocket scientists to tell us that.

Design schools for people. Better yet, ask students. One 16-year-old nailed it. “No one wants to learn in sterile, boring, institutional facilities. Give us beauty, real-life projects, choice, opportunity, and ownership, and we’ll show you what we can do.”

The American Architectural Foundation (2009) determined in a recent study that students want hands-on learning opportunities, variety and flexibility, comfortable and social spaces, seamless technology, sustainable designs, and connections to the outdoors. I could not agree more.

Denver Compact focuses on early ed

The focus of the Denver Education Compact is “cradle to career,” but talk at the group’s first working session focused on the early years.

Tuesday churn: Vaccination opt out rates

Some 7 percent of Colorado students are opted out of otherwise required vaccinations, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Opinion: Reflections on my DPS board candidacy

Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Roger Kilgore, who ran for the at-large Denver school board seat won by Happy Haynes on Nov. 1.

In the 1939 classic movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Jimmy Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, who is unexpectedly appointed by Governor Hubert “Happy” Hopper to fill an unexpired US Senate term with the expectation that he would be out of his element and not make trouble for the status quo in Washington DC.

For most of the movie, this is true, but eventually Mr. Smith, with help along the way, is able to make a difference for the people at the expense of the vested interests in Washington.

Like Mr. Smith’s experience in Washington, I found the campaign process to be both invigorating and frustrating.  It was invigorating first and foremost because I was seeking to serve in a position that influences the direction and ultimate success of the Denver Public Schools and its students.  I was, and am, passionate about our schools; it was a campaign worth waging.  It was also energizing to talk with voters in the schools, at their front door, on the telephone, or at public events about their concerns and dreams for our schools. Talking with teachers, parents, and principals was similarly engaging, as well as enlightening.

Monday Churn: Back to work

Things slowly get rolling again this week after an extended holiday for many in Colorado education and state government.

Schools need to have a voice

Editor’s note: This article was submitted by teacher Mark Thorsen from Ponderosa High School. Our school now enters a critical period after the Douglas County election, and a recent conversation with a well-respected colleague helped to keep some of my angst in perspective. He mentioned that he felt like we were in a period of mourning; we were dealing with a loss. It is a process, and we enter stages of sadness, anger and a sundry of other emotions, emerging with a sense of purpose and duty, knowing that our students show up every day hoping for the best from us.