Denver's Call for A Change

This, while lengthy, is a powerful call for change in the way one urban school districts seeks to see itself.

Denver's Superintendant and the entire school board issued the open letter and noted about choice and competition in their district:

Choice has been a significant benefit for parents, but a challenge for DPS. Traditional DPS schools have lost considerable enrollment, due to choice and demographic shifts. The resulting surplus of capacity in our buildings is absorbing resources that could be focused on student achievement. Unwise decisions made in the past are burdening today's children whose only chance is to go to school right now. The Rocky series shows us that parents are rightfully worried about how these fiscal realities will affect class size and the quality of education provided by DPS.

We have endorsed competition, but we have forced the district to compete with two arms tied behind its back. In this era defined by choice, we have been reluctant to allow our school district to depart from the old way of doing business and embrace new approaches. As a result, the district has been slow to respond while other schools have been able to market richer academic environments for our kids like extended day, different uses of time, smaller class sizes, and focused and thematic academic programs.

There is no turning back this trend of choice. Indeed, we should welcome it. Everyone who makes a choice makes a commitment. Research shows that parent and student commitment ranks just behind effective teaching and a great principal in making a significant difference in a child's education. DPS must embrace the fact that parents will select their schools from a wide range of choice. As we welcome choice, however, we must ensure that it enhances rather than degrades our general academic offerings. Quality education on a citywide scale must be a civil right for every child. This pursuit cannot be the district's alone. It must be the effort of an entire city.

Contrast this with the close minded outlook of St. Mary's County, Maryland and you can begin to see what will become of the future of education in Denver.