February 17, 2011 11:55 PM UTC

Trying to Understand the DPS Mess

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• by: Aristotle

Outside of questionable mid-term recall efforts and reprehensible actions by interested parties, I assume that the Denver Board of Education is trying to tackle the enormous problems facing Denver Public Schools.

Personally, I’m nowhere near up to speed on the issue, which is a little embarrassing to admit because I’m a Denver parent. I have one school-age child who is going out of district because the nearby DPS schools score bad or mediocre, and another one who will be old enough for preschool next school year. Although I’ve researched enough to know that my local DPS elementary school has some real problems (like rating 4 out of a possible 10 on the “Great Schools” rankings, compared to much better scores in nearby Littleton), I don’t know how DPS has come to this.

I’m a product of the Denver school system. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and went to the now-thoroughly maligned Manual High School at the same time as Michael Hancock. I can testify that it was a very good school, although in retrospect I have to wonder if I benefited from my socio-economic background more than I realized.

I do believe that at least two things took their toll on DPS – the ending of desegregation (which was in effect from before I started kindergarten until well into the 90s, long after I graduated), and open enrollment across district boundaries (which I admit I don’t know when that came into effect).

I spent a good portion of the last 15 years living in another state, and I didn’t pay a bit of attention to education while living there, or during the near-decade in Boulder and Denver after graduation (before relocating). A lot has happened in the over 20 years since I earned my diploma.

So the purpose of this is this: I’m basically asking for your help. Those of you who have followed education – please tell me: What is the problem with DPS? How did a good system turn into a shitty one? How much of this is due to right wing noise that’s been sounding since the Reagan years? How much can be blamed on socioeconomic factors? How many other Colorado districts are struggling with these challenges?

Thanks for your help.