A report was recently released that looked at the student achievement rates of students that had attended schools that were closed in Chicago. Take the big districts... New York, Chicago...yes, Denver. Everything that happens in Chicago and New York is replicated in Denver. From closing strategies, to Human Resource Systems, to data collection systems... Denver follows them.
The Consortium of Chicago School Research's study is entitled:
When Schools Close: Effects on Displaced Students in Chicago Public Schools
"The authors focused on 18 CPS elementary schools closed between 2001 and 2006 due to chronically poor academic performance or enrollment significantly below capacity. The schools enrolled 5,445 students at the time of their closings. To assess the academic effects of closing on these students, the study compares students ages 8 and older displaced by school closings with students in similar schools that did not close. The comparison group provides an estimate of how the displaced students should have performed on a range of outcomes had their schools not been closed."
How does this relate to Denver??
DPS has closed and redesigned many schools throughout my 16 year tenure in the district. The real question is, were the redesigns effective? I would challenge the district to come up with any conclusive evidence that they were. Why? Because they haven't evaluated the effectiveness of these strategies. They need to focus more on sharing best practices in our schools... and not just based on CSAP scores. School Reform takes 5-7 years to show results. How would we be able to see results when student, teacher, and administrator turn over is so high? Has the district invested the necessary time and resources to implement a meaningful reform? Often times, a "change" is mandated, and schools are left on their own to implement and resource the changes. Meanwhile, the district sits back and watches pointing fingers until they feel the need to intervene- usually with a punitive measure. It's time to change the culture, and let downtown serve as a resource to our schools... if they really want schools to succeed.
p.s. dedicated to my Viking and Del Pueblo friends
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Thanks Kim! I wonder what WOULD have happened at North if the reform that the teachers and community implemented if we would have had even three years to develop the plan!
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