STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS UPDATE

September 2017

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STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSAgenda

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• Co-chair introductions

• Share an update regarding committee work

and path forward

• Solicit feedback from the Board of Education

regarding some of the core questions that have

arisen during committee work

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommittee Membership

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Committee Co-Chairs Committee Composition:

• 40 members from around

Denver

• Strong representation from

parents and students (over

50%)

• Strong racial diversity

(over two thirds are people

of color)

Dr. Antwan Jefferson

Diana-Romero Campbell

Janice Sinden

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSFull Membership

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Alan GottliebAlicia EconomosAmanda SandovalAnita BanuelosAnna Jo HaynesAnne BarkisAntwan JeffersonBruce HoytChristie ImholtCollinus NewsomeCourtney TorresDebra BustosDerek OkuboDeisy HernandezDiana Romero CampbellElbra Wedgeworth

Erik SolivanErin BrownFran ColemanIsmael GuerreroJanet LopezJanice SindenJessica LernerJill BarkinJim ChavezLaura LefkowitsLee WhiteLeslie ColwellLindsay JonesLuis PozaMary SeawellMichelle Quattlebaum

Mike FerrufinoNate EasleyRegina RodriguezRicardo MartinezRick PadillaRowena AlegriaDr. Terrenda White

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommittee Mission

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Research indicates that high-quality, integrated

schools offer both improved educational outcomes for

our children and serve a vital role in promoting and

sustaining vibrant neighborhoods. Our committee’s

mission is to develop recommendations to increase

integration and inclusion in all of our schools and to

effectively address issues associated with the

declining number of school-aged children in impacted

areas of the city.

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSBenefits of Socioeconomic Integration

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• Research that “diversity makes us smarter.”

• Not just a proxy for race. Research shows that the academic benefits of integration come in part from resources that flow from economically diverse environment.

• Richer discussions lead to enhanced learning, something recognized by colleges and businesses.

• Job skills to navigate diversity in the workforce. Bridge-building skills are valued.

• Employers fire more often for inability to get along with others as compared to incompetence.

Sources: Berends & Penaloza (2010) Antonio et al, (2004) Marin (2000), Johnson & Johnson (1994), cited in Kahlenberg and Potter, A Smarter Charter (2014), p. 63., Racial Desegregation in Charlotte vs. Boston (1970s)

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommittee Roadmap

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o 10 meetings between June and December, open to the public and posted online

o Mid-point progress report to Board of Education in September

o Regularly informed by community engagement feedback

Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

LEARNING

Committee

Work

DEBATING

RECOMMENDING

12.1111.2811.1510.2310.29.11 BoE

Report8.288.156.196.5

Community

EngagementLISTENING FEEDBACK

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommittee Conversations to Date

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#1 - ‘Why are we here’

Discussion on the benefits of integration and the differences between ‘desegregation’ vs. ‘integration’;

discussion on promoting diversity at different levels – individual, organization and community

#2 - ‘Where are we, how did we get here, where do we go from here’

Discussion regarding the current state of Denver in terms of population, demographics and housing and

how that impacts DPS; discussion on committee mission

#3 - ‘What are the systems and practices within DPS that can impact integration’

Learning and discussion on current DPS work to promote integration – choice and enrollment systems;

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work; SPF measures – as well as known opportunities for further work

#4 - ‘How have other districts changed systems and practices to increase integration’

Learning and discussion regarding the work of other districts in promoting integration and a reflection on

opportunity areas for the committee moving forward

#5 - ‘What are our core beliefs, what are the promising policy areas where we would like to focus’

Committee discussion on the structure and focus of working groups that will develop recommendations;

report out from Phase I working groups

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSPhase I Working Groups

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Engaging Our Community

**On-going**

Understanding Other Local

Community Efforts

Drafting Our Core Beliefs &

Learning From Other Cities

o Core question: How can the

community inform this work? What

are we hearing from our

community?

o Deliverable: Short-term – refined

community engagement plan.

Longer-term – synthesis and

report on community feedback.

o Core question: What are the

related Denver efforts this

committee should be aware of

and how can we stay informed?

o Deliverable: Identify systems and

structures to keep committee

informed of related efforts

o Core question: What are our beliefs

regarding what successful integration

looks and feels like? Where can we

learn from other districts?

o Deliverable: Proposed core belief

statements, synthesized from

committee discussion and examples

from other districts. Plan of inquiry

regarding learning from other districts

o PURPOSE: To advance committee work and allow for committee members to dig deeper into specific

topics

o OPERATION: These working groups met 1-2 times in August and September. The Engaging our

Community group will continue while the other two groups may reconvene towards the end of our process

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommunity Engagement

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GOALS

Listen and Learn.

• Community will have the opportunity to engage in authentic discussions where their experiences are heard.

• Phase II: Community will have the opportunity to weigh in on potential policy considerations.

Inform and Discuss.

• Community will have the opportunity to be informed on the committee process, goals and timeline, and changes in the district.

Planned and Occurring Conversations

We are asking our committee members to lead conversations in the community group, non-profits, religious institutions, etc that they participate in. We have or will be speaking with:

• CLARRO

• Colorado Association for Bilingual Educators

• Denver Education Compact

• INC

• NAACP

• Padres & Jóvenes Unidos

• Project VOYCE

• RNO’s across the city

• STAND

• Student Board of Education

• Together Colorado

• YAASPA – Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSCommittee Roadmap Going Forward

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Draft Themes for Upcoming Meetings

Progress Report to Board of Education

Sept 18th at 4:30 – Discussion with Board on key tensions/questions

Sept 28th at 4:30 – Public presentation on committee work and engagement opportunities

6 (Oct 2) – Working Group Time- 1st working group meetings with some discussion/learning

time on school size. What is the link between school size and program quality? What

strategies are available to schools who are declining in enrollment?

7 (Oct 23) – How might we put principles into practice: School integration school-panel

Continued work on school integration strategies. Report out of community-engagement to

date

8 (Nov 14) How might we put principles into practice? How might school size or consolidation

strategies impact school integration? School panel on declining enrollment

Report out of community engagement to date

9 (Nov 28) – Flex meeting for community engagement synthesis, data reporting, committee

deliberation

10 (Dec 11) - Finalize report and what are next steps?

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSQuestions for Discussion with the Board of Education

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• How do these core beliefs align with the district’s Shared Core Values and with the

Board’s vision for Strengthening Neighborhoods?

• Next steps for the committee are to begin prioritizing work and adding focus within these

areas. Do you see any topics here that might be a lower priority as it relates to the

Board’s vision for Strengthening Neighborhoods?

• The committee has met with district experts on equity (CELT), school assessment (SPF

academic gaps), diverse hiring and transportation. We have also heard from experts at

the city on housing, planning, economic development and children’s services. Given the

complexity and interconnectedness of integration, where would you prioritize

coordination efforts going forward?

• We have seen significant interest from our community and schools in this work. In

December we would like to bring recommendations for how this work should be

continued and transitioned to a phase of deeper engagement and implementation. Does

the Board have considerations for Phase II planning?

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSHow We Are Structuring Work Moving Forward

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Design and

Sustainability

of Great

Schools

Access to

Schools

Enrollment Systems

Choice Preferences

Transportation

Other. . .

In School

&

Classroom

Equity

Access to Rigor

Educator Diversity

Cultural

Responsiveness

Other. . .

School Program

Diversity

Sustainable School

Enrollment

Other. . .

Community

Considerations

School-Level

Considerations

District-Level

Considerations

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSSN Phase II Working Groups

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Access to Schools

Key Opportunity Areas (identified in meeting 4)• Enrollment structures: evaluate opportunities where making changes (e.g., moving from enrollment boundaries to

enrollment zones; moving schools to serve a zone that currently do not) could promote integration

• Enrollment preferences: create more nuanced measures of student need (e.g., census block model) and use more often to

create opportunities for integration

• Parent education and feedback: learn more about why families are choosing the schools they do and also opportunity to

make available more school information that families are looking for

Open Questions

Identified in meeting 5• Is there a numerical definition of an integrated school?

• How will we set measurable goals for this work?

• How can we illustrate the trade-offs of different policy

areas (e.g., zones)?

• How does city and state law influence policy

considerations?

• What criteria have been used to draw school boundaries

in the past?

• What are the constraints/costs related to transportation?

• Should we prioritize integration efforts at certain education

levels or across the board?

Relevant Core Beliefs

Developed by working group• High-quality, integrated schools benefit all

students in multiple ways, including but not

limited to academic outcomes

• Strategies and recommendations should

balance the benefits of integration with the

importance of parental choice

• Strategies should increase equitable access to

high-quality integrated schools for students

and families

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSSN Phase II Working Groups

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In School and In Classroom Equity

Key Opportunity Areas (identified in meeting 4)• Integrated classrooms: ensure that students have equitable access to academic rigor as well as student supports

• Cultural responsiveness: provide curricula that value different backgrounds and training for staff such as implicit bias

• Teacher and leader diversity: include teacher and leader diversity considerations when creating new integrated models;

opportunity for improvements district-wide

Open Questions

Identified in meeting 5• How do we measure equity?

• How can the district reduce areas of

student tracking?

• What will be the impact of integration on

in-school parent dynamics and how can

we proactively address this?

• Equity for whom? Students, parents,

teachers, district?

Relevant Core Beliefs

Developed by working group• The root causes of inequities existing in Denver Public Schools

stem from many social, cultural, political, and economic factors

that may be beyond the district's control. However, it is critical

that the district both focus on strategies within its locus of control

while advocating for strategies that may require additional

stakeholders or resources

• High quality, integrated schools reflect the equitable involvement

of families, students and the community

• High-quality, integrated schools benefit all students in multiple

ways, including but not limited to academic outcomes

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSSN Phase II Working Groups

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Design and Sustainability* of Great Schools

Key Opportunity Areas (identified in meeting 4)• Proof points: use diverse-by-design pilots to create proof points across the district

• New schools: create attractive options with a focus on integration

• How to address shrinking school enrollments in areas of the city that are seeing rapid declines in the number of school-

aged children and how to best work with schools that fall below a viable enrollment size

• School growth and turnaround: provide supports and best practices for schools that may not currently be integrated but

want to draw a more integrated population in the future

• Resources: acknowledging financial constraints, additional resources can support a transition to diverse by design

Open Questions

Identified in meeting 5• What is family demand for an integrated school? How can you

create demand for such a school? Who has done so in Denver?

• How can we communicate the ‘why’ of integration to all families?

• How are the challenges of school integration and the challenges

of school size related?

• How to support schools in areas of the city that are less

integrated?

• How do we ensure equitable decisions are made regarding viable

enrollment size, school closures, and school consolidation?

*Note: committee has sequenced conversations regarding integration first

and will be shifting to conversations on school size

Relevant Core Beliefs

Developed by working group• Strategies and policy recommendations

that require the use of district resources

should ensure that district resources are

allocated equitably

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSQuestions for Discussion with the Board of Education

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• How do these core beliefs align with the district’s Shared Core Values and with the

Board’s vision for Strengthening Neighborhoods?

• Next steps for the committee are to begin prioritizing work and adding focus within

these areas. Do you see any topics here that might be a lower priority as it relates

to the Board’s vision for Strengthening Neighborhoods?

• We’ve met with district experts on equity (CELT), school assessment (SPF

academic gaps), diverse hiring and transportation. We’ve also heard from experts

at the city on housing, planning, economic development and children’s services.

Given the complexity and interconnectedness of integration, where would you

prioritize coordination efforts going forward?

• We have seen significant interest from our community and schools in this work. In

December we would like to bring recommendations for how this work should be

continued and transitioned to a phase of deeper engagement and implementation.

Does the Board have considerations for Phase II planning?

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODSUpcoming Milestones

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- Thursday September 28th – update on Strengthening Neighborhoods engagement opportunities at Regular Board of Education meeting

- Monday October 2nd – Strengthening Neighborhoods committee meeting where committee will spend time in their working groups