District-Wide Reform / College Prep for All

Jovenes successfully demanded that Denver Public Schools (DPS) adopt a baseline curriculum, graduation requirements, and students supports which prepare all students - regardless of race, gender, income, or neighborhood - to go on to college and to adopt graduation requirements aligned with college entrance requirements. These new requirements are a vital step for closing the achievement gap and raising academic achievement for all students. Implementation will begin with the high school classes entering in 2007. Jovenes will be working to ensure that DPS provide students with the strategic student supports vital for their success.

The Academic Problem

As everyone is aware, DPS has some of the poorest test scores in the state. Less frequently noted, however, is that these scores are colored by both racial and economic differences.

A recent study by the Piton Foundation and the Colorado Children's Campaign documented testing differences by class. Among their findings was that, in the highest-income DPS high schools in 2004, 51.1% of students scored proficient or advanced on reading, writing, and math. In contrast, only 11.9% of the students in the highest-poverty high schools scored proficient or advanced - a gap of 39.2 percentage points.[1] Perhaps even more disturbingly, the gap between rich and poor schools has increased over nearly all age ranges and tests.

Looking at CSAP results by race does not paint a rosier picture: as the chart below shows, a far greater percentage of white DPS 10th and 8th graders score proficient or advanced in reading, writing, math, and science than their Latino or Black peers.

From this sample, between white and Black students there is a:

* 37% gap in reading;
* 38% gap in writing;
* 33% gap in mathematics; and a
* 43% gap in science.

Latinos, who make up 57% of the DPS student population, fare even worse. Between white and Latino students, there is a:

* 47% gap in reading;
* 45% gap in writing;
* 33% gap in mathematics; and a
* 44% gap in science.

These gaps in testing and teaching also manifest themselves in other ways, most specifically in terms of dropout and graduation rates. A 2004 study by Harvard Civil Rights Project and the Urban Institute found a graduation rate in DPS for Black students of only 38.6%, while only 30.5% of Latino students graduated from DPS.[2]

Clearly, such racial disparities cannot be allowed to continue. Nor can they be blamed on students of color being "less able to achieve" or "less willing to work". Denver, as a majority-minority city, no longer has the luxury of blaming students for the failure of its schools.

The Solution

Padres Unidos and Jovenes Unidos believe that a rigorous, college-prep curriculum for all should be the goal of Denver Public Schools reform. Too often, students of color are expected to do poorly. Too often, students of color are tracked into an endless series of remedial classes. Too often, the horrifyingly high numbers of drop outs and push outs are blamed on parents and students, on cultures which allegedly "don't value learning", on things beyond the control of the school.

Regardless of what is happening outside the school door, a 30.5% graduation rate for Latino students is unacceptable. Only 1 in 7 Latino 10th graders achieving proficiency in writing is unacceptable. Only 1 in 25 African-American students achieving proficiency in math is unacceptable. We believe that the excuses have to stop.

Research has shown that the most accurate predictor of academic success, graduation from high school, and going on to college is academic rigor in high school (Adelman, 1999; Braddock, 1990; Gamoran, 1987; Oakes, 1987). Additionally, high school academic rigor has been shown to be a particularly important factor in college enrollment for African-American and Latino students (Adelman, 1999).

Why do we think college is so important? First, the term "college-prep" is a bit of a misnomer. Whether students go on to college or not, preparing all students with the rigor necessary to succeed in college prepares them for whatever they do after high school.

America's economy is changing. Employers - whether they require a college degree or not - are looking for the same things that colleges look for: strong reading and writing skills, strong math and statistical skills, and the ability to research and solve problems. Employers have always wanted well-schooled employees, but now they require them: in the 1950s, 80% of all jobs were classified as "unskilled" - now, in the age of the information economy, roughly 85% of all jobs are "skilled".[3] In the words of Carol D'Amico, former Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education:

"Good jobs - those with meaningful career paths and family-supporting incomes - will go to those with strong academic and technical skills, especially in math, science, and technology, and in the ability to reason, solve problems, and communicate effectively."[4]

Graduating students without the skills they need to succeed not only hurts them - in terms of future earnings, access to health care, and other ways - but it also has profound impacts for the community as a whole. Earnings determine not only tax revenue for the city but reliance on social services and public spending - some estimate that a single high school dropout will cost the public in excess of $200,000 over the course of their lifetime.[5]

What do we mean by "College Prep"?

College prep addresses the academic rigor of the curriculum by aligning both standards and teaching content with college entrance requirements. This means, preparing every student for college.

To be successful, implementation of a college prep curriculum must include:

1. Alignment of standards with postsecondary requirements.
2. Alignment of course content - adjusting curriculum to ensure academic rigor and assessing students regularly for efficacy of teaching and adoption of the new standards at the classroom level.
3. Social Supports - providing students with access to the resources they need to succeed.

These broad goals, in practice, would look much like the goals proposed by the students who began the North High School reform:

* High Expectations: Teachers, administrators, and staff truly believe that the students can learn and succeed at high levels, and create a highly motivational environment that fosters success for all students.

* High Quality Teaching: Teachers are not only knowledgeable in their subject areas, but use interactive teaching methods and adapt instruction to student needs. Teachers receive ongoing professional development and support.

* High Level Curriculum: All students are taught at high levels, and given the curriculum necessary not just for graduation, but for college preparation.

* Supportive School Culture: The school is structured to support students academically, socially, and emotionally through small groupings like "Learning Families"; students have a strong voice in school decision-making; and students' cultures are honored and celebrated throughout the school.

As you read this, Denver Public Schools is in the middle of an historic change. We have the opportunity to close the achievement gap by raising standards so that every DPS student graduates ready to succeed in college - and, for that, we need College Prep for All.

Goal and Objectives for College Prep for All/District-wide Reform

Goal: Establish "College Preparation for All" classes and essential support services in Denver Public Schools by August 2007.

Objectives:

1. Monitor Denver Public School District to incorporate baseline curriculum goals into the new District Strategic Plan, aligning all curriculum with college-level work.
2. Monitor student support programs to increase student retention and academic achievement.
3. Develop monitoring rubric for parent and student use in evaluation of the above.

[1] Looking Back to Face Forward: Confronting Growing Gaps and Declining Achievement in Denver Schools. Colorado Children's Campaign and The Piton Foundation, July 2005. Available online at www.piton.org

[2] Orfield, et al. Losing our Future: How Minority Youth are Being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis. The Urban Institute and The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, March 2004. Available online at http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/
dropouts/LosingOurFuture.pdf

[3] Cited in The A-G Curriculum. The Education Trust - West. Spring 2004.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Cited in Not a Moment to Lose! The Denver Commission on Secondary School Reform, March 2005.