Newsroom

DPS leadership has laid the foundation to accomplish the Denver Plan's goals and is starting to see results.

Student Achievement
From 2005 to 2008, Denver students made strong improvements in reading, math, writing and science. In reading, the district posted a 6.2% increase over the three years, more than four times the growth of the state. In math, Denver saw a 6% gain, more than twice the growth of the state. In the middle grades, Denver saw gains of 10% in reading and 9% in math.

Teacher & Principal Pay
DPS operates a groundbreaking teacher pay system called ProComp along with a principal compensation system which rewards improved student achievement and commitments to work in hard to serve school and hard to staff assignments.

Expansion of Preschool & Kindergarten
Denver has expanded its early childhood education program by 40%. In the 2007-2008 school year there were only 500 children in full day preschool, in the 2008-2009 school year there are 2,000 children in full day preschool. Full day kindergarten slots were also increased by 25% which means that over 90% of the children in Denver Public Schools, as five year olds, currently have access to full day kindergarten.

Balanced Budget
After five years and $83 million in budget cuts equaling almost 20% of the operating budget, Denver has balanced its budget without cuts for two consecutive years and is investing additional funds into its schools and departments.

School Performance Framework
In 2008, DPS launched a School Performance Framework which measures the progress of actual students against themselves and against peers from the entire state of Colorado to make sure that DPS is moving all of its students forward.