#3 - Enable Parents to Direct Their Child’s Education
Parents know their students best.
We understand that the Board of Education navigates the tension between some parents’ demands for high-quality neighborhood schools and other’s calls for high-quality options that exist outside of their immediate boundary. Regardless, the Board must support a diverse portfolio of high-quality public school choices that meet the unique needs and interests of Denver’s students. Further, the Board must provide parents with the ability to easily access information regarding these options. If a neighborhood school is considered for closure due to low enrollment, the Board should engage families early in an effort to co-create solutions and assist them in a thoughtful exploration of alternatives.
Board members pledge to:
Identify and eliminate barriers to participation in school choice.
Support the design and management of a process for approval, evaluation, intervention, and renewal that treats all school models consistently and fairly.
Provide transparent, easy-to-access data regarding individual school performance, student proficiency, academic growth trends, social-emotional wellness, teacher experience levels, and school-specific course offerings/programming.
Codify a formal community engagement process surrounding any potential school closure.
Maximize parent involvement in schools.
Student Outcomes
Students will have district supported access to any school program of their choosing.
Families will understand criteria for approval, evaluation, intervention, or renewal of any school.
Families will make informed decisions based on a variety of school factors, including individual school performance, student proficiency, academic growth trends, socialemotional wellness, teacher experience levels, and school-specific course offerings/programming.
Parents will increase their reported school engagement on district climate and satisfaction surveys by 10 percentage points year over year.
