District Reforms

Janus Capital Group Makes Three-Year, $3 Million Commitment To Improve Teacher Recruitment, Training and Retention in Denver Public Schools

Janus Education Alliance created to elevate the teaching profession and make Denver a place where teachers come to perfect their craft

March 6, 2007

Denver Public Schools (DPS) today announced that Janus Capital Group is making a three-year, $3 million commitment to create a program to improve teacher recruitment, development and retention. Called the Janus Education Alliance, the program will be funded by the largest corporate gift DPS has ever received.

The primary purpose of the Janus Education Alliance is to boost student achievement by investing in DPS teachers at every stage of their careers. Specifically, the Janus Education Alliance is designed to:

Work closely with organizations that recruit promising young teachers and mid-career professionals interested in teaching;

• Enhance the district's human resources and professional-development staff to ensure that DPS attracts, trains and retains the best possible faculty;
• Create improved professional-development opportunities, such as year-long classroom "residencies" that enable new teachers to learn from DPS "master" teachers;
• Elevate the status of the teaching profession; and
• Build an innovative organization that positions DPS as a national educational leader.

The Janus Education Alliance also will help address the unprecedented teaching shortage facing school districts today. Research indicates that half of new urban teachers leave the profession by the end of their third year, usually because they feel unsupported and unprepared for success. Nearly half of DPS teachers leave the profession within their first five years on the job.

"Given the high teacher turnover and low graduation rates in Denver, we have a rare opportunity to change the landscape of urban education," said Blair Johnson, Janus senior vice president of corporate communications. "We decided we could have the greatest impact by creating an organization that elevates the teaching profession and takes teachers to new heights."

This spring, following a nationwide search, DPS plans to hire an executive to run the Janus Education Alliance.

"The reforms we're making in the Denver Public Schools are transformational changes, not incremental ones," said DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet. "To make meaningful, lasting change you need partners who are energetic and engaged. That's why it's so important that Janus is stepping up at a critical time for our schools."

Bennet said the Janus Education Alliance will work with several partners to identify promising young teachers and mid-career professionals interested in becoming teachers in DPS.

"By offering advanced training, better-defined career paths and our pay-for-performance plan, we're confident that DPS will attract the best and brightest teachers - and that they'll stay here longer," Bennet said. "As word spreads, we believe Denver will become a destination for top-notch teachers eager to hone their craft."

In addition to Janus' financial contribution, members of the investment management firm's research and finance departments are helping DPS tackle various operational challenges. Their volunteer work ranges from analyzing budgets to evaluating ways to increase productivity and optimize student-teacher ratios. The DPS Foundation, which oversees charitable funding for the district, called the Janus Education Alliance a landmark initiative.

"Janus's commitment to DPS is exactly the kind of partnership that will make a difference in our schools," said Barbara Berv, president and CEO of the Denver Public Schools Foundation. "The DPS Foundation's mission is to drive community investment in our schools, and that's just what Janus is doing. It's making an investment in Denver's children that will pay off in the future as better schools create a stronger community with a more robust economy."

About the Denver Public Schools Foundation
The DPS Foundation raises funds in support of The Denver Plan, the district's ambitious education reform plan to improve student achievement. The Foundation supports programs such as professional development for principals and teachers, improved curriculum and quality of instruction, after-school programs, and community partnerships. For more information, visit www.dpsfoundation.org http://www.dpsfoundation.org/ .

About Janus Capital Group Inc.
Founded in 1969, Denver-based Janus Capital Group Inc. (Janus) is a recognized leader of growth and risk-managed investment strategies. Our commitment to deliver for investors is rooted in our research-intensive approach and relentless passion to gain a competitive edge. At the end of December 2007, Janus managed $206.7 billion in assets for more than four million shareholders, clients and institutions around the globe. Outside the U.S., Janus has offices in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Janus Capital Group consists of Janus Capital Management LLC, Enhanced Investment Technologies, LLC (INTECH) and Capital Group Partners, Inc. (doing business as Rapid Solutions Group). In addition, Janus Capital Group owns 30% of Perkins, Wolf, McDonnell and Company, LLC.