News Release
January 31, 2007
The Denver School Of Science And Technology Awarded $500,000 To Articulate School Model And Explore Possible Growth
The Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for a two-year project that will focus on two main objectives: expanding DSST to a secondary school model serving grades 6-12 and building capacity to fully develop the systems that have made DSST successful. When completed, school leaders will be better positioned to systematize the DSST model and consider opening new schools.
The combination of DSST's outstanding student performance on state assessments, an extraordinarily diverse student population, and a highly innovative school culture has made DSST a promising model for reform agents nationwide, particularly for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) schools. Over the past year DSST has hosted educators from over ten states including Texas, Ohio, California, New York, Pennsylvania and several countries including Australia and Nigeria. "We started out to demonstrate that all kids, regardless of background, could excel in math and the sciences. Thanks to the remarkable work of the faculty and staff, DSST is now the national model for STEM teaching in urban schools," said Founder David Greenberg.
DSST's early results have been promising and encouraging. For the second year in a row, DSST students outscored their counterparts in the DPS and statewide on the CSAP. Of particular note, are DSST students' scores in math. The percentage of DSST 9th graders scoring at proficient or advanced levels is 55%, compared to 17% in DPS and 38% statewide. The percentage of DSST 10th graders scoring at proficient or advanced levels is 64%, compared to 15% in DSP and 31% statewide. DSST was also the highest scoring non-selective school in the DPS in reading and writing on the CSAP. And DSST 10th graders were the 5th highest in math and 21st highest in writing statewide.
DSST was recently rated as an "Excellent" school on the State Report Card for last year's student leaning results. DSST, a non-selective school, and the Denver School of the Arts, a highly-selective magnet school, were the only two schools in the Denver Public Schools to earn an "Excellent" rating. There were no other high schools in the district earning even a "High" rating. DSST was also only one of three schools in the entire state to earn a "significant improvement" rating on year-to-year student achievement for two years in a row.
The grant will support DSST's exploratory work to consider expanding to a secondary school serving grades 6-12, subject to the approval of the project by the Denver Public School Board. DSST recently received over 400 applications for next fall's freshman class demonstrating the strong demand for the school's program. Building a strong 6-12th grade program will allow DSST to provide the continuity and consistency to increase students' core academic foundation and generate better learning results in grades 9-12. Immersing students as early as possible into DSST's powerful learning culture, including the focus on academic rigor, high expectations and shared core values, will help the school to realize its mission of having 100% of its students meet state standards and graduate from a four-year college.
"We share a mission with DSST to prepare all students for college, work, and citizenship," said Jim Shelton, program director of education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We are proud to continue this partnership to reach students even earlier and help them get the support they need to thrive in a culture of high expectations." The Stapleton Foundation has also contributed $25,000 to support the exploration of the 6-12 expansion.
The grant will also support work in developing, implementing, and codifying the systems and practices that have guided its early success. Some of these systems include DSST's core instructional practices, benchmark assessment system, innovative school culture, and professional development. "With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DSST is excited to be able to further develop the systems and practices that have defined our unique approach to high school education and look towards applying them in a full secondary school model," said Bill Kurtz, Founding Head of School at DSST.
Additionally, DSST is anticipating another grant. The Texas High School Project/Communities Foundation of Texas is currently considering an award to make DSST an exemplar school for the Texas High School Project's T-STEM Initiative (the Texas-Science Technology Engineering Math Initiative). Under this agreement, DSST would serve as a demonstration site for 35 newly created Texas STEM high schools to explore best practices for instruction and school culture beginning in the summer 2007. T-STEM teachers and administrators would learn alongside DSST master teachers, administrators, and students.
DSST was also chosen by the American Architectural Foundation as the featured school this year for the "Great Schools by Design" video series sponsored by Target and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. The video was just released and highlights how DSST's state-of-the-art design provides a learning environment that matches its academic commitment.
Mayor John W. Hickenlooper, who was interviewed in the video, stated that, "The impact of a school like this on the rest of the district is more than just the kids who are at that school [DSST], it has a ripple effect that benefits every high school kid in the district."
DSST is an innovative 425-student charter high school that opened in the fall of 2004 and is located on a 10-acre site in the newly redeveloped Stapleton neighborhood in northeast Denver. DSST currently serves grades 9-11 and will continue to add a new class of freshman each year and will be fully enrolled with grades 9-12 by fall 2007. Additional information about DSST and the admission process is available on the school's web site at www.scienceandtech.org.