2015 DPS Board Elections. Part 1: Achievement Gap or Equity Gap

The Denver Public Schools School Board Elections offer voters clear choices between candidates supporting the current DPS agenda and those who want to take the district in a new direction.  Denver is a target of outside campaign funding from groups who are "pro-education reform" vs. those who categorize themselves as "anti-corporate reform."  "Education reformers" are supportive of choice in education, particularly charter schools, and have been largely supportive of the common core state standards and the new PARCC assessments for tracking student achievement. Education reformers largely support Denver's current agenda. "Anti-corporate reformers" are critical of what they call the "privatization of public education" through the growth in charter schools and the use of standardized tests. In Denver, "anti-corporate reformers argue for changes in school choice boundaries to more "neighborhood schools" vs. attendance zones that are drawn across neighborhoods for the purpose of providing broader choice for neighborhoods with high concentrations of low-income families and students of color.

Over the next several days 80238 will look closely at some of the issues in the election and the arguments being made by those wanting a change in direction.

A primary argument made by anti-corporate reform candidate the district maintains is that Denver has one of largest achievement gaps among urban districts.  The evidence cited by reformers is a recent report by the Center for Reinventing Public Education.  Some candidates have argued that the district's achievement gap has grown from 2005 to 2015 during the tenures of Michael Bennett and Tom Boasberg as DPS superintendent.

To understand achievement gaps, you need to understand equity gaps between students of color and white families.

Growth in Enrollments Driven by Hispanic Students and White Students

Over the past 10 years, the Denver Public Schools have seen dramatic increases in enrollment.  This is particularly noteworthy for Stapleton residents because of the significant growth among white students.  However, it is also important to notice that the district saw a much higher numeric increase in enrollments among Hispanic students.

Economic Equity Gaps Between Students of Color and White Families Are Growing

As enrollments have increased, the district has seen economic gaps widen. While the percent of students on Free and Reduced Price Lunch among white students has not changed, students of color are significantly poorer than they were 2005.

This graph does not begin to capture the gaps in income between students of color and white students.  We know that in Stapleton alone white families are among some of the highest income families in the country.   In addition, we know that 87% of the 51,000 Hispanic students are low income and 82% of African American families are low income.

Bottom line is that in the past 10 years the gaps in income equity have grown due to dropping incomes among families of color in the district and the rapid growth in the incomes among new white families that have moved into the district.

Those that argue that achievement gaps are growing should consider the unique challenge of having to deal with widening income gaps.  

These changes are challenging the district to meet the needs of the growing high income white population AND the increasingly poor minority populations.   This has manifested itself in the battles over attendance zones and the demands of white families to have high quality schools near their homes.  Later we will look at the arguments over neighborhood schools and whether it provides any solutions.

Next we take a hard look at achievement gaps in the district.