News Release
March 2, 2005
"Rigor, Relevance And Relationships" At Core Of Recommendations Presented Today By Commission On Secondary School Reform
The Commission on Secondary School Reform today proposed transforming high schools in Denver by increasing the degree of rigor in the coursework, making the learning experience relevant to students' lives, interests and future plans, and building "safe, respectful and caring" learning environments in which relationships are improved at all levels.
The 27-member Commission presented its recommendations to the Denver Board of Education at a special meeting held at the Denver School of the Arts. The Commission is co-chaired by Board member Lucia Guzman and Dorothy Horrell, president of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.
The report, titled "Not a Moment to Lose! A Call to Action for Transforming Denver's High Schools," calls for dramatic reform including changes in organizational structure, how students and teachers spend their time, how the needs of individual students are met, what is taught and how it is taught, how resources are allocated and what constitutes effective leadership at the school level. According to the report, the role of the district must change to create a culture and capacity that supports the continuous improvement of each school.
A complete copy of the report is posted on the district's main web page, www.dpsk12.org (look under "Updates" on the main page) and on the Commission's website, dcssr.dpsk12.org.
"Today's high school structure does not consistently support student learning," the report states. "In fact, it hampers students and staff from achieving their goals. Class schedules move students from one subject to another with little connection between them or time for rigorous, meaningful learning. Teachers have limited opportunities to work and plan together or give students individual attention."
The report describes a series of strategies and recommendations - which the Commission urged be adopted as a "package" of reform, not as a menu from which to choose - to effect the changes it envisions. Those strategies include:
- Treat students as individual learners.
- Make every high school a quality high school.
- Empower principals with authority, responsibility and accountability for student success.
- Engage teachers as full partners in achieving educational excellence and hold them accountable for student achievement.
- Offer families and students a choice among high-quality high schools that reflect students' learning styles and interests.
- Create a new role for the district and reshape its relationship with schools and the community.
"There must be a systematic revitalization and redesign of the high school experience and learning opportunities we provide to young people," the report states.
The Commission urged the district to undergo "dramatic and thoughtful change" and said it is "imperative" that all district guidelines and policies, in addition to the Denver Classroom Teachers Association agreement, be reconsidered to support the reform.
The Commission was established by the Denver Board of Education in April 2004 and has its seeds in the November 2003 mill levy election, which included in its $20 million package of district-wide reforms a $2 million effort to improve secondary education.
The Commission found that "Denver's public high schools are failing" and the report cites statistics that reflect overall poor achievement levels and significant gaps between results posted by Latino and African-American students in comparison to results posted by white students.
"To ensure success, the Superintendent must be the face and champion of reform, accountable to the Board and the community for its success. At the same time, the process must engage all stakeholders within the schools and the community," the report states.
To initiate the reform process, the Commission recommends that the Board and Superintendent:
- Create a template outlining standards and benchmarks for assessing student success and school quality based on the principles of rigor, relevance and relationships. Standards should include quantitative indicators, such as performance on state and local assessments and the Colorado ACT and graduation rates, and qualitative indicators, outlined in the full report, defining attributes of a high quality high school.
- Design a process to assess how well each existing high school meets the standards and benchmarks, and consider starting new schools based on successful models.
- Require and support each high school in developing a plan for its future in concert with students, parents and community members - encouraging schools to innovate and enabling them to seek outside assistance to support their efforts.
- Empower principals. High-quality schools must be led by high-quality leaders who have the capacity to lead change, create a clear focused vision and assume responsibility for improving student achievement. Over time and with training and support, principals should assume responsibility for the budget, hiring, firing, scheduling, professional development and educational design for their schools.
- Assess the capacity of each high school principal to lead change and assume increasing responsibility for his/her school's performance. Identify, recruit, develop and compensate principals for their new roles. Create performance contracts between the district and principals to ensure accountability.
- Engage teachers as full partners in achieving educational excellence, creating strong and talented teacher leaders. Ensure that district policies and the DPS/Denver Classroom Teachers Association Agreement support these recommendations and focus on improving student achievement.
- Join with key public and private stakeholders to create a "Denver Compact for High Performing High Schools." This would stimulate community involvement in the reform process, establish ongoing forums for community dialogue and provide valuable assistance to the district and principals.
"Many of these ideas may appear on the surface to be common sense and not revolutionary," said Commission co-chair Horrell. "However, what can be revolutionary is taking these ideas and implementing them with vigor and a sense of purpose that will significantly improve the quality of the learning experience in high schools."
Added co-chair Lucia Guzman: "This report arrives at a critical time and presents an opportunity we may never have again to positively impact generation after generation of our city's children. The report draws on a broad coalition of community representatives that is pointing the way to reform. With the resources available to the district through the 2003 mill levy and leaders willing to begin the work, there is no time like the present to take this challenge and move forward."
Board of Education President Les Woodward thanked the Commission members for their work on the report. The Board, he added, would immediately begin analyzing the report for needed policy changes.
"The report provides a detailed blueprint for reform," said Woodward. "Now it's up to us to make sure the district implements the reforms. We welcome the challenge ahead to see these ideas through."
Superintendent Jerry Wartgow pledged full support from district staff in the reform effort. "The dropout rate is too high and the graduation rate is simply too low for anybody who cares about students today to think that the status quo is acceptable," he said. "It's not. The Commission has provided us with a clear vision of where we're headed and many meaningful ideas for making sure we reach our destination. This is not a quick fix. It will be a sustained effort. But I believe this report will launch meaningful reform that will impact this district positively for years to come."
For more information, contact the DPS Communications Office at 720-423-3414.