The Denver Public Schools Commission on Secondary School Reform will hold its next meeting on Friday, July 9, at the offices of the Education Commission of the States, 700 Broadway, Suite 1200. The meeting will run from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The Commission’s agenda for the meeting includes a welcome and briefing from Ted Sanders, president of Education Commission of the States, followed by a discussion of approaches to education reform and ways to close the achievement gap drawn from local and national research. The Commission will also finalize its plans for accomplishing its mission which will include shadowing students, meeting with school administrators and teachers, and conducting community forums.

The Commission began its work on May 21st. At that meeting and the subsequent meeting on June 18th, the Commission analyzed information about the current state of Denver’s high schools, reviewed research about high schools, and discussed how the Commission will do its work. Minutes from these meetings are posted on the Commission’s web site http://dcssr.dpsk12.org along with a list of future meeting dates and details on the 27 members of the Commission.

The Commission’s charge is to make recommendations to the DPS Board that will significantly improve the success of all students, increase graduation rates and lower dropout rates. The Commission will identify priorities for the Board of Education and Denver Public Schools administrators for the use of the funds from the mill levy that voters approved in November 2003. The mill levy initiatives included $2 million earmarked for secondary school reform. The Commission will also suggest how existing resources can be maximized to make positive changes in high school education.

The Commission has 27 members, including students, postsecondary educators, representatives of foundations, think-tanks, businesses and community organizations.

The Commission is co-chaired by Lucia Guzman, vice president of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, and Dorothy Horrell, president of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. Patricia McNeil serves as the executive director of the Commission and Elizabeth Aybar as the assistant director.

The Commission’s recommendations are due to the Board of Education in January 2005.

For more information about the Commission, please visit the Commission’s website or contact Liz Aybar via phone at 303-594-1509 or via e-mail at Elizabeth_Aybar@dpsk12.org.