Beginning today, Denver Public Schools’ on-line guide to school reports features a new look - and new, powerful capabilities.

The new reports, engineered by the non-profit group GreatSchools, provide parents and students with an easy way to use their personal preferences to find their ideal school.

The new web site (dps.schools.net) allows parents to choose a grade level (elementary, middle and high), enter their home address, and begin searching the entire data base and the variety of school offerings and programs in search of the best fit possible.

The web site allows parents to search within a certain radius of their home - beginning with a five-mile sweep of schools.

Is a magnet or charter school preferred? Are English Language Acquisition programs important? What about special education centers or a certain calendar type (year-round or regular)? Is all-day kindergarten a must-have? The web site allows parents to search for the right combination of important elements that meet their definition of complete school.

“We believe well-informed parents are the most effective advocates to drive high standards and achievement,” said GreatSchools’ president Bill Jackson. “We are happy to be partnering with Denver Public Schools in this effort to provide school performance information in such a useful way.”

Once parents have identified a few schools that might be of interest, they will find the same information that has been available on district reports for the past three years:

• Overall and disaggregated information on CSAP scores
• Unique narratives about each school, written by each school
• Information about the school faculty’s experience and preparation
• Background on the principal’s experience level
• Student demographics including ethnicity and number of English language learners

Much of the data is displayed with colorful bar charts and pie charts that are easy to digest. The entire site will soon include a mirror version in Spanish.

Based in San Francisco, GreatSchools is a non-profit organization that provides free online K-12 school information to help parents make informed decisions when it comes to supporting their children’s education. GreatSchools has worked closely with parents to create a highly regarded, user-friendly online school guide that has won accolades from parents and the media.

GreatSchools served over 3.5 million parents in 2002 and is the school information provider for AOL, MSN, Knight Ridder, Univision.com, as well as newspapers and television stations throughout the United States.

For more information, please call Ethan Hemming, Department of Research, Planning and Special Programs at 720-423-3633.