AV #252 - K-12 education: In what direction are we headed? Do we share common goals?

 

First in a series – Finding agreement amidst our divisions                                                                               

 

As we see districts like Denver Public Schools and Douglas County articulate markedly different goals, can the state find a shared vision? Or are we too divided?

Does “local control” mean 178 districts each “go their own way”?

 

“I think that the current period has a great trouble defining a direction. It’s very responsive to the emotion of the moment.”

Henry Kissinger. Interview with The Wall Street Journal, Aug 13-14, 2022. Discussing his latest best-seller, Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategies.

 

Kissinger is speaking here of the world. But his statement reflects where we are with public education, does it not? WSJ asked Kissinger about the dangerous situation with both Russia and China, and if the U.S. “could manage the two adversaries by triangulating them, as during the Nixon years.” He answered: “You can’t just now say we’re going to split them off … All you can do is not to accelerate the tensions and to create options, and for that you have to have some purpose.”

My question—to bring this idea closer to home—is whether we as a state must accept that Denver Public Schools and Douglas County (just as two examples) will each go their separate ways, as if untethered to any shared goals for all of K-12 education across Colorado. Is this intrinsic to being a “local control” state? Or can Colorado leaders find a way “not to accelerate the tensions” and articulate a few common goals? Can they clarify our purpose? Can they give us a sense of direction? 

**

It matters. Is there a leadership book doesn’t emphasize this? Begin with the end in mind (Covey). To inspire, start with why (Sinek). Or this, to paraphrase the Cheshire Cat’s wisdom in Alice in Wonderland: "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." 

We might yearn for clarity on where we are going, but two factors in Colorado stymie such hopes.

First, in a local control state, we allow for clashing agendas. DPS board members can take their schools in one direction, while the Douglas County board maps out an alternative course. Maybe we are OK with this; we live in different worlds (we tell ourselves), so of course we have different beliefs. Or at least different priorities. This is just the way it is, in our divided nation.

Two examples: choice and equity.

Choice:  Roughly 24% of the students in both districts enroll in charter schools. But the current union-backed board in DPS prioritizes neighborhood schools over choice (See excerpts from “Dismantling Denver,” by Alan Gottlieb and Parker Baxter[i]). The current Denver School Board’s top five goals make no mention of choice (Addendum A). In contrast, the Strategic Plan for DCSD affirms, “Our community values choice for families and students in their education.” 

On matters of equity and race, the difference is especially stark.

Denver Public Schools

Douglas County School District

From DPS Board of Education Ends Policies,[ii] May 5, 2022 Global End Statement: [DPS] will provide students with Racial and Educational Equity to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our complex world.  DPS Ends Policies: #1 – Equity. #2 - Teaching & Learning, #3 - Student & Staff Well-Being, #4 - Health & Safety, #5 - Post Graduation & Global Citizenship. (More in Addendum B.)  Chalkbeat Colorado, May 23, 2022  “Denver’s superintendent’s goals include dismantling ‘oppressive systems’”[iii]   According to Chalkbeat, the Denver School Board of Education produced five “overarching goals.” #1 - “The district will be ‘free of oppressive systems and structures rooted in racism.’”

9News, Jan 26, 2022  “Douglas County School Board approves resolution recommending changes to educational equity policy”[iv]  “Last year, the old board approved an Educational Equity policy, which would take an approach to the curriculum with diversity and inclusion in mind.”  Colorado Public Radio, Feb. 3, 2022      “The new board majority recently passed a resolution calling for changes to the policy, which they say has led to ‘shaming and retaliation against teachers, students and staff who express views and opinions that are counter to others’ views and opinions,’ according to school board member Kaylee Winegar.”[v]   Colorado Public Radio, April 4, 2022  “Former DougCo superintendent says he was fired illegally over support for masking, equity policies”[vi]

Second, Colorado’s governance structure limits what our leaders are able, or willing, to do. In the best of times they can cooperate, but I doubt any of them is in a hurry to affirm: This I Believe, Here I Stand. No one steps out and says: here is the purpose of public education in our state, here is where we need to go. And so we muddle through, without a vision–as Bob Dylan put it, “no direction home.”

Governor Polis has been a tireless advocate for early childhood education. However, he seldom articulates a vision for the larger K-12 sphere as Governors Roy Romer (1988-2000) and Bill Owens (2000-2008) were eager to do. Furthermore, our Governor has no role in appointing the Commissioner or members of the State Board of Education. He works with them; can he get out in front of them? (In a second term, Polis might feel free to do so, much as Roy Romer did, 1991-95.)

We elect our seven (soon to be nine) State Board members. Each speaks and votes based on his or her vision for what is best for the state. Their decisions can affect what our 178 districts do regarding accountability, choice, and standards; they convey the majority’s priorities. But for the most part the State Board responds, it does not lead. And a Commissioner of Education appointed by the State Board of Education is limited in her ability to set a direction for the state. All are constrained. 

And while individual legislators can demonstrate leadership on particular issues, they are inevitably more practical than visionary. They focus on this year’s priorities, not the long term. If asked in the winter: where are we headed?, they might answer, we are headed for adjournment by May 6—so let’s accomplish something by then. 

As much as we might need it, perhaps it is unreasonable to ask our state leaders to try to articulate a common sense of purpose, a shared sense of where we are headed. But without it, where are we?

Addendum A - Denver’s top give goals – “ends statements”* 

May 23, 2022

1. The district will be “free of oppressive systems and structures rooted in racism.”
2. Students will receive a well-rounded and culturally relevant education. All students will score at grade level on district tests, and students who score below will achieve “significant academic growth.” Students with disabilities will have the resources they need.
3. Students and staff will be mentally and physically healthy.
4. The district will be a safe environment where the impacts of COVID are minimized.
5. Graduates will be ​​independent, lifelong learners who can make well-informed decisions.

*From “Denver superintendent’s goals include dismantling ‘oppressive systems.’” Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado, https://coloradosun.com/2022/05/23/alex-marrero-goals/

Addendum B - From Denver Public Schools’ Strategic Plan – DPS Thrives*

Aug. 19, 2022

Mission:                                                                                                                                            (Bold mine)

Educational equity is our collective responsibility. We prepare students for career, college and life. We create conditions and partnerships where students, families and team members belong and thrive.

The System Experience: Equity and Excellence

Unfair, inequitable student outcomes are part of DPS’ past and present because our education system is designed to be unfair and inequitable. It is time to finally disrupt and dismantle the oppression and supremacy our system perpetuates each day. We will eliminate ineffective systems and replace them with equitable, transparent systems. We are committed to fostering meaningful partnerships that elevate the role of our community in reshaping DPS for the future. We want to be a district that students, adults and community flock to and are proud of—for the work we do to ensure our students have the experience they deserve.

Goals

1. DPS disrupts, dismantles and redesigns systems and practices for equity and excellence.

2. DPS provides resources and services equitably and transparently.

3. DPS is recognized locally, regionally and nationally as a leader in practices for equity and sustainability. 

Strategies. #1 – Systems for Equity:

a. Establish regular routines for auditing equity in operational and academic systems.

b. Identify, dismantle and rebuild inequitable systems by fostering student, family and community voice and leadership.

c. Cultivate student and family interest in DPS by improving programming, choice and communication.

d. Build a holistic data culture

*DPS Thrives: Executive Summary, Denver Public Schools, https://issuu.com/dpscommunications/docs/dps_thrives_executive_summary.

 

Endnotes

---

[i] From “Dismantling Denver - The city was a national model for education reform. Then union-backed candidates took over the school board,” Education Next, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring 2021).

https://www.educationnext.org/dismantling-denver-nationwide-mode-education-reform-union-backed-candidates-took-over-school-board/

Charter schools and school choice. Last fall, the board voted to delay by a year the opening of a new high school by DSST Public Schools, a local STEM charter network. The new high school would have enrolled students from its nearby middle school—the highest-performing middle school in Denver, where 80 percent of students qualify for subsidized lunches and 94 percent are of color. While board members said their move to delay was prompted by concerns about achievement at other DSST schools, they were holding DSST to a much higher standard than that which they applied to middle schools they directly control.

   Ultimately, the State Board of Education reversed the Denver Public Schools board decision. The local board cannot end charter schools in Denver and in fact could lose exclusive chartering authority under state law if the district denies charters to worthy applicants. Denver’s charter schools are much more integrated into the district than they are elsewhere in the country, sharing not only an enrollment system but also various facilities and some services for students with severe special needs.

   But with Denver Public Schools enrollment projected to shrink for the foreseeable future, cooperation is under pressure. Some board members buy into the narrative that Denver’s charters—all nonprofits—have some sort of profit motive, and they describe charters as part of a corporate- and privatization-backed conspiracy to weaken traditional public schools. To many who oppose choice, charter schools present a threat to their vision of what public education ought to be: funded, employed, and controlled by a central authority.

[ii] Denver Public Schools 2022-23 Proposed Budget, https://go.boarddocs.com/co/dpsk12/Board.nsf/files/CE4LWW5899AB/$file/2022-23%20DRAFT%20Denver%20Public%20Schools%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf.

[iii] By Melanie Asmar, https://coloradosun.com/2022/05/23/alex-marrero-goals/

[iv] https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/douglas-county-school-board-culture-excellence-inclusion/73-f54c404d-50d0-4d87-a3db-082e54d20564

[v] By Jenny Brundin, https://www.cpr.org/2022/02/03/douglas-county-school-district-teacher-rally/.

[vi] https://www.cpr.org/2022/04/14/douglas-county-corey-wise-termination-complaint/

 

AV#251 - In 2022 a Colorado school district does not offer choice. What if it had done so?

 

Adams 14

   We often wonder what if, what would have been different if…

   Given the heartache and turmoil this past year over how to improve public education in Adams 14, the question seems worth considering.

   What might have been different for Adams 14 had it offered parents a choice these past two decades?

   We cannot go back in time, but it might help as we go forward. We all know of a dream deferred. In the case of Adams 14, I think of hope denied. Why? Because the district failed to make the most of Colorado school laws. In so doing, it limited the possibilities of something better for its students.

**

Excerpt from the Colorado State Board of Education hearing – April 14, 2022:

Angelika Schroeder, Chair of the State Board:

My question is about choice in your district. We have in Colorado a process where any student can go to any school.

 

Dr. Karla Loria, Superintendent of Adams 14

… so as far as choice, we don’t offer choice. Last two months I’ve been (at) the helm I realized we do not offer choice.

              (For a more complete version of this exchange, see Addendum.)

**

   It was a shock to hear a Colorado superintendent admit this, in 2022, especially one leading a district in the Denver metro area. Hard to imagine, given the loud and controversial debates about choice and charters during the past three decades. It is to her credit – Dr. Loria is new to the district and to Colorado, and these policies were not her doing – that she could tell it like it is. Hiding nothing.

   “We don’t offer choice.”

1.      COMPARING DISTRICTS

Superintendents in Adams 14 Sue Chandler, 2009-2012 Pat Sanchez - 2012-2016 Javier Abrego – 2016-2019 MGT Consulting Group /   Don Rangel, Acting     Superintendent – 2019-2021

   The charter school law passed in 1993. The five largest school districts in the metro area (and in the state) now offer over 100 charter schools (see below).                                            

    Is it possible that not one of Adams 14’s previous superintendents, or any of the school boards overseeing the district since 2009, asked about the growing interest—even excitement–about expanding choices for families in other nearby metro area districts? Especially in Denver, the capital city, with which Adams 14 shares a border, and a district where the number of charters roughly doubled between 2010 and 2015 - from about 25 to 50.   

Were the folks in Adams 14 deaf and blind to the good news being reported about many of these new schools on the other side of 56^th Ave.? (See Denver Post editorials: April 9, 2008, Despite the odds, DSST students score an A-plus,[i] and March 17, 2009, When something works in education, copy it.[ii])

 A quick look at Colorado’s five largest districts—all in the metro area (i.e., within shouting distance of anyone in Adams 14 who cared to listen)–adds to the notion of Adams 14 with its head in the sand.

 

Adams 14 School District shares a border with DPS	Total # students (fall 2021)[iii]	# of charter schools (fall 2021)[iv]
Denver Public Schools	88,889	57
Jefferson County	78,473	19
Douglas County	63,876	18
Aurora Public Schools	38,451	11
Cherry Creek	53,558	3
Total	323,247	108

   What might be the cause for a district’s inaction, or opposition, to expanding choice? Willful ignorance? A teachers union hostile to seeing the district open any charters? Pride – an unfounded confidence that we-don’t-need-anyone-else-to-come-in-and-show-us-another-way-to-educate-our-students? (Unfounded in Adams 14 because every year throughout the decade, from 2010-2019, at least a handful of its schools were rated on Turnaround or Priority Improvement.)

   Adams 14 has not been completely opposed to charters. Back in 2004 it approved of the charter for Community Leadership Academy, and authorized CLA’s two schools from 2005-2011.[v] And last December the district approved of a new charter for University Prep.[vi] The school and the district are still negotiating a contract; if successful, the new school might open in 2023. Still, this fall, Adams 14 does not authorize a single charter school.

 

5 metro area districts	Total # students	# of charter schools (fall 2021)[vii]
Mapleton	9,002	0
Westminster	8,320	0
Adams 14	6,114	0
Englewood	2,440	0
Sheridan	1,177	0

      I am sure that are a range of explanations for why the five metro districts, above, do not currently authorize any charters. Not many good applications? Not enough parent/family support for successful applications? Not enough interest in and support from the district for any new option? Whatever the “reason,” it is difficult to understand how one of these districts, sitting next door to DPS and its 57 charters, can acknowledge, in 2022, “we don’t offer choice.”

2.      COMPARING TWO HIGH SCHOOLS – DSST-Montview High and Adams City High

    Comparing districts misses the more human factor. Imagine a 13- or 14-year-old graduating from Adams City Middle School, with a choice between two high schools. They are less than 7 miles apart. Let’s compare—and imagine—what if?

   Drive out of DSST-Montview (its current name) onto Montview Blvd., go half a mile west to Quebec, drive north 6.4 miles, and turn east on 7200 Quebec. Enter Adams City High School.

    What if a such a choice had been available to that young teenager, and to his or her family, in 2005, or 2010, or 2015–at any point in recent years?  

2004 – Scores at Adams City High School. DSST Stapleton opens.

   Anyone paying attention has known for decades that Adams 14’s main high school has struggled. In the summer of 2004 the high school’s results on CSAP, the state’s assessment, for grades 9 and 10, were among the lowest in Colorado (see below). Did ACHS students have a choice? Few would call the district’s alternative high school, Lester Arnold, a strong option. Even by the lower expectations for Alternative Education Campuses, Lester Arnold also performed poorly throughout most of the decade.[viii] 

        Percentage of students Proficient or Advanced on CSAP high school tests - 2004[ix]

2004 – CSAP	Adams City High School	State of Colorado
9th grade    -    Reading	30	66
-        Writing	15	53
-        Math	11	32
10th grade   -   Reading	30	65
-     Writing	16	50
-     Math	8	27

                                ACT scores – college admissions exam taken by all 11^th graders[x]

2004 – ACT	Adams City High School	State of Colorado
Total	14.0	18.8

    In the fall of 2004, DSST-Stapleton High School (as it was then known) opened. By 2009 the new high school was earning kudos.

   “The Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) was recognized today as the top performing school in Denver. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg released 2009 School Performance Framework (SPF) results showing DSST on top in every category…. DSST’s overalls core of 95% was defined by a 96% status score and a remarkable 98% growth score.

    “DSST is a 6-12 open enrollment charter school located in the Stapleton neighborhood. Students are selected for admission using a lottery system rather than pre-admission testing. DSST’s student body is 45% free or reduced lunch and 63% minority.”[xi]     (Bold mine)

   Again, what if that 8^th grader in Adams 14 had known of the school choice available to him or her?

2010 to 2019 – Comparing SPF ratings and achievement scores

   By 2014 DSST-Stapleton High School was in its 10^th year, well past the start-up stage. By 2014 Adams City High School – originally founded under a different name back in 1908 – had been in its new building since 2009. Five years to settle in.

   That year Denver’s own School Performance Framework (SPF) again listed DSST-Stapleton (as it was then known) as the highest rated school in the district. Meanwhile, on the state’s SPF, Adams City High was placed in year 5 on the accountability clock. It has continued to be "on the clock" ever since then.

    (NOTE: DSST-Stapleton High was renamed DSST-Montview High in 2019.)

	ADAMS CITY HIGH SCHOOL	DSST- MONTVIEW HIGH (formerly Stapleton)
2010	Turnaround Plan	Performance
2011	Priority Improvement	Performance
2012	Priority Improvement	Performance
2013	Priority Improvement	Performance
2014	Priority Improvement (Year 5 on accountability clock)	Performance
2016	Priority Improvement	Performance
2017	Turnaround Plan	Performance
2018	Priority Improvement	Performance
2019	Priority Improvement (Year 9 on accountability clock)	Performance
2019	Total % pts earned - 35.5%	Total % pts earned - 86.2%

 

2019	ADAMS CITY HIGH SCHOOL	DSST- MONTVIEW (formerly Stapleton)	State of Colorado -Average
Enrollment	1,764	582	-
FRL	82%	55%	41%
Minority	91%	76%	47%
English Learners	50%	21%	16%
Academic Achievement	25%	79.3%
Academic Growth	45.5%	89.2%
Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness	Does Not Meet – 32.7%	Exceeds 94.3%

 

                                                                              2022 UPDATE

2022[xii]	ADAMS CITY HIGH SCHOOL	GAP	DSST- MONTVIEW	State of Colorado- Average
PSAT - 9	735	186	921	885
PSAT - 10	785	125	910	935
PSAT - 11	821	165	986	986

    There are a hundred differences between the two high schools: e.g., a much higher rate of English learners and FRL and minority students at ACHS. Of course I am not saying that if a DSST school had opened in 2004, a block away from ACHS, it could replicate its success at DSST-Montview.

    I am merely asking what if? What if students at Adams City High could have had the choice to attend a stronger high school? How would their skills, knowledge, and college and career readiness–their chances to fulfill their potential—have differed had they been able to attend a high school like DSST? What if their parents had had the kind of information and options, back then, that had become familiar to DPS families? What if they were given a clear understanding of their choices in Colorado law—through open enrollment (1990 and 1994) and through charters (1993)? We will never know.

   Looking ahead, however, we have reason for hope. Families and students have choice. No Colorado district can act like a monopoly. Even if some—to their detriment—still do.

3.      CHOICE, ENROLLMENT, A DISTRICT’S SURVIVAL and $$$

   And to that point, let’s talk money. I speak now to a district’s self-interest: enrollment, state and federal funds, and financial survival. Many school districts have struggled to maintain enrollment during the COVID years. In the metro area, economic factors—namely the cost of housing—have also played a role in decreased enrollment. Adams 14 showed a decline of 18% pupil membership between 2016 and 2021 (see CDE report below). I am sure there is no one reason for the decline. But what if a district’s lack of choice is one reason?

   Enrollment in metro districts offering choice declined too, but not as much as those that do not authorize any charter school at this time.   

STATE TRENDS IN COLORADO PUBLIC SCHOOL PRESCHOOL (PK) THROUGH 12th GRADE MEMBERSHIP BY SCHOOL DISTRICT

 

	2009-10	2014-15	2018-19 (pre Covid)	2021-22	5-year change 2016-2021
Metro districts with charter schools (TOTAL of 72)
Denver Public Schools (57)	77,255	88,839	91,998	88,889	-2.5%
Adams 12 (4)	41,949	38,701	39,282	36,078	-7%
Aurora Public Schools (11)	36,967	41,729	39,892	39,451	-8%
Metro districts with zero charter schools (0)
Englewood (0)	3,124	2,866	2,633	2,440	-12.1
Adams 14 (0)	7,422	7,584	7,060	6,114	-18.1%
Sheridan (0)	1,595	1,536	1,420	1,177	-22%
Mapleton (0)*	5,775	8,670	8,934	9,002**	+2%

                  (From CDE website – Pupil membership -  http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrent) 

*Mapleton, while offering no charters, has had a fairly sophisticated choice program for a number of years. See https://www.mapleton.us/Page/5586 – “Step 2: Choose! Congratulations! You are ready to choose the school of your choice and start achieving your dreams in Mapleton!”

**Mapleton’s online school, Colorado Connections Academy, enrolled 2,154 students in 2021-22. Enrollment in the district's brick and mortar schools in 2021-22: 6,848.

 

No choice - in an open enrollment state? 

   Related to the declining enrollment in Adams 14 is another factor: many families in the community have taken advantage of interdistrict choice. Open Enrollment has been in place in Colorado since 1994-95.[xiii] A 2018 report found that almost 30% of district students enrolled in other districts that year (including the Charter School Institute, which authorizers Community Leadership and Victory Preparatory Academy. The number of Adams 14 students enrolling out of district more than doubled between 2010 and 2017).[xiv]  Parents look for and find what they consider a better alternative, beyond the limits of Adams 14. They enroll their children in a non-district school that they hope will better meet the needs of their kids.

   District opposition to charters frequently includes this: “they are a drain on our resources.” And a plea: “spend district funds only on district schools.” Given the data above, I propose another view: What if offering choice is proving to be critical to the economic health, even the survival, of many urban districts?

   At that meeting last April, Dr. Loria told the State Board of Education: “We need to provide our families with choices.” This gives us hope.

 **

Addendum

State Board of Education – April 14, 2022

Angelika Schroeder, Chair of the State Board:

“My question is about choice in your district. We have in Colorado a process where any student can go to any school. (In fact I think it has already been mentioned that a lot of your kids go to schools that are not Adams 14 schools.)

“But how do you share with your community:

“What are the options? …

“Do you have a publication or something that explains the differences between your various schools?

“Do you provide any kind of transportation for kids?

“Do you have a system?

“I’m familiar with the districts that literally have a system of choice, there’s a choice time period … and you as a district then know where parents want to send their kids and knowing that they have an option to go other places.

“Please.”

Dr. Karla Loria, Superintendent of Adams 14

“Thank you Madam Chair.”

(Dr. Loria first spoke for two minutes on her reasons for taking this leadership role in Adams 14 and her belief that progress is possible within an accountability system. As evidence, she shared her success in helping to turn around 18 schools in Houston in one year.)

“… so as far as choice, we don’t offer choice. Last two months I’ve been (at) the helm I realized we do not offer choice. Students can choose to go elsewhere but we do not have a system for families to understand – there are buses that students can take, these are the options – so that is part of our planning, what we need to work on. That is part of what we need to focus our attention on. We need to provide our families with choices. It is not that if you live in this zip code you do not have choice and have to leave to another district.”

Endnotes

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[i] The Denver Post, April 9, 2008, https://www.denverpost.com/2008/04/09/despite-the-odds-dsst-students-score-an-a-plus.

[ii] The Denver Post, March 16, 2009, https://www.denverpost.com/2009/03/16/when-something-works-in-education-copy-it/.

[iii] Colorado Department of Education, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrent

[iv] 2021-22 Charter Pupil Membership by School and Grade, Colorado Department of Education, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/chartenroll.asp. 

[v] Community Leadership Academy (PK-5) and Victory Preparatory (6-12).

Adams 14 authorized Community Leadership Academy’s charter in 2004. Community Leadership Academy opened in 2005 with Adams 14 as its authorizer. In the spring of 2011, the school turned to the Charter School Institute as its authorizer.

https://go.boarddocs.com/co/cde/Board.nsf/files/B6BR5663E60C/$file/Adams%2014_Additional%20Information%20Requested%20by%20SBE_Acct%20Hearing_Nov2018-final_11.7.18.pdf

[vi] https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/12/15/22838287/adams-14-board-university-prep-charter-school-community-leadership-victory-prep-vote

[vii] 2021-22 Charter Pupil Membership by School and Grade, Colorado Department of Education, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/chartenroll.asp. 

[viii] Lester Arnold was rated on AEC: Priority Improvement Plan or AEC: Turnaround Plan from 2010-2014. Most recently, it was rated as on AEC: Priority Improvement Plan in 2018 and 2019. From 2010-Performance Framework Flat Files from Previous Years, CDE, http://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performance-framework-flat-files-from-prior-years

[ix] CSAP scores for all metro-area schools, “Year of pluses and minuses,” Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 3, 2004.

[x] “ACT Results - State sees dip in test scores,” Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 3, 2004.

[xi] “DSST is Top Performing School in Denver,” DSST, Press Release, Sept. 17, 2009.

[xii] Colorado Department of Education, http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/sat-psat-data

[xiii]  https://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/choice/download/openenrollment_2009.pdf

22-36-101. Choice of programs and schools within school districts. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, every school district, as defined in section 22-30-103 (13), shall allow: (a) Its resident pupils who apply pursuant to the procedures established pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to enroll in particular programs or schools within such school district; and

(b) Commencing with the 1994-95 school year and thereafter, nonresident pupils from other school districts within the state who apply pursuant to the procedures established pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to enroll in particular programs or schools within such school district without requiring the nonresident pupils to pay tuition.

(2) (a) Every school district shall adopt such policies and procedures as are reasonable and necessary to implement the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, including, but not limited to, timelines for application to and acceptance in any program or school which may provide for enrollment of the student on or before October 1, and, while adopting policies and procedures, the school district shall consider adopting a policy establishing that an applicant with a proficiency rating of unsatisfactory in one or more academic areas who attends a public school that is required to implement a turnaround plan pursuant to section 22-11-406 or that is subject to restructuring pursuant to section 22-11-210 shall have priority over any other applicant for enrollment purposes. 

[xiv] “Requests from State Board of Education Members for Additional Information in Advance of the Nov. 14, 2018 Accountability Hearing for Adams 14 School District and Adams City High School.”

Year	2021-22 K-12 Enrollment	Total Resident Students	% Adams 14 Resident Students Enrolling Out of District
2010	1,577	7,549	17.3%
2011	2,566	7,321	26%
2012	2,434	7,500	24.5%
2013	2,780	7,598	26.8%
2014	2,792	7,584	26.9%
2015	3,061	7,577	28.8%
2016	3,043	7,467	29%
2017	3,155	7,400	29.9%

Update – 2021-22

Colorado State Board of Education - Accountability Hearing, Adams 14

From Board member request for details

Request #5: A board member requested details on students who live within Adams 14 boundaries but have chosen to attend school in another district. There was a specific request for the number of high school students. 

CDE Response: In the CDE Accountability Hearing Background Report on pages 9-10 and in Appendix C on pages 56-57 are data tables that detail the number of students attending other districts or a school authorized by the Charter School Institute and the percentage of students attending outside of their resident district in other nearby metro area districts. In 2021-22, 962 9th-12th graders who reside in Adams 14 school district enrolled in a school outside of the district or authorized by the Charter School Institute. 

April 12, 2022, https://go.boarddocs.com/co/cde/Board.nsf/files/CDGKYQ542E53/$file/CDE%20-%20Board%20Member%20Requests%20(Adams%2014)%20-%20April%202022.pdf.

 From pages 56-57 of that Accountability Hearing Background Report: 

Number of Adams 14 Resident Students Enrolling Out of District

District	Adams 14 Resident Students Enrolling out of District	Total Students Enrolled in Adams 14	Enrolled Students Who Reside in Another District	Resident Students Enrolled in Another District	Percent of Resident Students Enrolled in Another District
Adams 14	5,703	8,483	225	3,005	35.42%
Denver Public Schools	84,079	84,428	6,670	7,019	8.31%