Announcements

Denver, CO -- A Denver Public Schools School Improvement Grant in the amount of $374,290 was awarded to the Lincoln Collaborative for their efforts to graduate students who are ready to succeed in college and the workforce. Denver Public Schools will review the grant at the end of two years for further funding. The Lincoln Collaborative is a consortium of four DPS schools in Southwest Denver that promote college readiness from preschool to high school. The partnering schools include Abraham Lincoln High School, Kepner Middle School, CMS Community School, and Godsman Elementary School.

The Lincoln Collaborative is supported by the Denver Public Schools and the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.

The Lincoln Collaborative originated from a Southwest Denver articulation meeting in September of 2008 on the University of Denver campus. The meeting was led by Antonio Esquibel, principal of Lincoln High School, and attended by representatives from Lincoln’s feeder middle and elementary schools, in addition to faculty from the University of Denver. After the initial meeting, principals of the Lincoln Collaborative met regularly for six months with Dr. Maria Salazar, Assistant Professor in the Morgridge College of Education, to identify areas of high need in their respective schools.

As a result, Esquibel and Salazar co-authored a DPS School Improvement Grant and submitted this grant on behalf of the Lincoln Collaborative. Highlights include a college-ready graduate profile. The term “graduate” is used to refer to students completing 5h grade, 8th grade, and 12th grade at the participating schools. Graduates of the Lincoln Collaborative will be:

• Successful in completing cognitively demanding tasks;
• Academically prepared through content knowledge and language skills;
• Effective users of information and technology;
• Self-directed and confident in own ability to succeed;
• Knowledgeable about postsecondary options; and,
• Resourceful in navigating academic challenges.

The college-ready graduate profile will be accomplished through six strategic initiatives including:

1. Integrate college knowledge and skills in curricular and instructional approaches;
2. Design and implement extended learning opportunities for college readiness;
3. Provide on-going professional development on college readiness for teachers and leaders;
4. Increase family engagement in college readiness;
5. Build a college-going culture; and
6. Create information sharing systems to facilitate transitions and interventions.

Esquibel states, “This is a tremendous opportunity for our community in Southwest Denver to understand that we are serious and will make it a priority that students who attend our feeder pattern system will be prepared to succeed at post secondary institutions.”