Newsrooom

Thursday, June 18, 2009

 Slate of innovative schools will expand the number of quality options for students, parents over the next several years

 Denver, CO -Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education today approved one new "performance" school application and five new charter school applications as part of the district's Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Five of the seven recommended schools would open in fall of 2010 and one would open in the fall of 2011. Two of the applications are for more than one school. In total, the district received 17 applications for new district and charter schools.

"The goal of the new-schools process is to increase the critical mass of high-performing schools that provide choice for families and opportunity for students to reach their full academic potential," said DPS school board President Theresa Peña.

"The district is committed to accelerating student achievement and improving the quality of the educational programs of existing neighborhood schools while at the same time offering families and students new, high-quality academic options through the new-schools process," said Superintendent Tom Boasberg. "These new schools meet the needs of our students, and their programs meet our high expectations for raising student achievement."

The district had recommended seven of the 17 new-school applications, after a thorough evaluation of the proposals against the district's criteria of having a solid research-based educational model, proven school leadership, highly qualified design teams, strong board governance and demonstrated community support. 

The school board approved the opening of the following schools:

• Denver Green School (preschool-8) - A "performance" (district-run) school with a preschool-through-eighth-grade program will open in 2010. The school's program will integrate project-based learning and community service, with an overall focus on the importance of protecting the environment and building a sustainable future. The preferred location for this school is the southeast quadrant of the city. 
• Two campuses of West Denver Prep (6-8) - A charter college-preparatory middle-years program will open two schools in 2010. West Denver Prep has successfully operated its first school in Denver's Westwood and Southwest neighborhoods yielding high student achievement. The preferred location for both schools is the northwest quadrant of the city. 
• Four campuses of the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) - Four charter college-preparatory schools-each focused on the areas of science, technology, engineering and math-will open over the next four years. The program will serve grades six through 12, with the first school opening in 2010 at the new Green Valley Ranch building. Denver School of Science and Technology's first school, located in the Stapleton community, has seen 100% of its high school seniors gain acceptance to four-year colleges and universities.
• SOAR Charter School (K-5) - A kindergarten-through-fifth-grade charter school will open in 2010. The school will offer a rigorous, enrichment-focused, holistic approach to educating children, a replication of the highly successful Future Leaders Institute (FLI) School in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. The preferred location for this school is the far northeast quadrant of the city. 
• Denver Language School (K-8) - A charter school with a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade program will open in 2010. The school's program will focus on language immersion in Mandarin and Spanish. The preferred location for this school is the northeast quadrant of the city. 
• KIPP Academy Middle School (5-8) - A college-preparatory charter school with a middle years program will open in 2011. The preferred location for this school is either the northeast or far northeast quadrants of the city. 

Community engagement key to the new-school process

The district held 10 regional community meetings this spring to engage parents on school performance and community needs and to give residents an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed schools. The feedback from the community meetings reaffirms the district's focus on having strong teachers and school leaders in all schools and emphasizing high expectations and college preparation for future school options.

Next steps

District staff will continue to analyze regional needs, demographic growth and facility capacity over the next few months. Additional community engagement meetings will be scheduled for the fall. Final decisions on specific school-locations and campus-sharing will be made in the fall.

For more information, contact the Communications Office at (720) 423-3414.