September 10, 2004 Minutes

I. Location and Attendees

The meeting was held at the North High School, 2960 N. Speer Blvd. Members of the Commission in attendance were: Co-chairs Rev. Lucia Guzman and Dorothy Horrell; Commissioners Hank Baker, Brian Barhaugh, Leanna Clark, Judi Diaz-Bonacquisti, Maria Guajardo Lucero, Debbie Jessup, Christine Johnson, Jesse King, Ginger Maloney, James Mejia, Rick O'Connell, Penfield Tate, and Al Yates; ex officio members David Barber, Lydia Landa, Princess Rhines, Jeff Buck, Ann Greenfield, and Mario Williams; Executive Director Patricia McNeil and Assistant Director Liz Aybar.

Observers included DPS Superintendent Jerry Wartgow, Assistant Superintendent Wayne Eckerling, Chief Academic Officer Sally Mentor Hay, School Board members Elaine Berman, Michelle Moss, and Theresa Pena, Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer Ed Freeman; Leo Smith, Citizens' Committee on Bond Expenditures; Nancy Mitchell and Carol Hanner, Denver Rocky Mountain News; Allison Sherry, Denver Post; Karen Middleton, House Democrats; Stevi Quate, University of Colorado at Denver; Brooke O'Drobinak, Kelly Hupfeld, and Mariah Dickson, Public Education Business Coalition; Laura Findlay and Van Schoales, Colorado Children's Campaign; and Jeff Wein.

II. Introduction, Approval of Minutes, Overview of the Day, and Introduction to North High School - Co-Chair Rev. Lucia Guzman

Reverend Lucia Guzman opened the meeting by welcoming Commissioners and guests. Each guest introduced him/herself. Rev. Guzman asked for the approval of the minutes from the July 9 Commission meeting. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Rev. Guzman reviewed what was in the Commissioner's packets for the day: a copy of the agenda, important Commission dates, a draft of the working vision statement, a description of the Action Groups, an email they had received on Student Shadowing and three articles to read. The articles were 1. A Summary of Making Schools Work by William Ouichi, 2. Changing Rules and Roles by Angus McBeath, Superintendent of the Edmonton, Canada school system, and 3. The Wager of a Lifetime, High School Graduation Rates in Colorado prepared by the Colorado Children's Campaign.

Rev. Guzman reviewed the agenda for the day and expressed her excitement about having the meeting at North High School, a high school actively involved in school reform.

III. Important Commission Dates - Trish McNeil

Trish McNeil briefed the Commissioners on important upcoming dates. Key dates to note are Student Shadowing from September 27 to 30, the Colloquium on School Reform Models on October 7, the Commission Meeting on October 8, the 2004 Mayor's Summit on Latino Academic Achievement on October 20, the Student Forum on October 27 or 28, Community Forums on November 3 and 4, the Commission Retreat on November 11 and 12, Commission Meetings on December 10 and January 14, and the Report to the Board of Education on January 20.

IV. Commission Vision and Work Plan - Dorothy Horrell and Jesse King

Dr. Horrell noted that the last meeting ended with lots of ideas about the vision, which allowed Commissioners to talk in smaller group coffees in August to develop a clearer focus on the vision for the Commission's work. She emphasized that good schools are clear about what they are doing with a "laser-like" focus and that the Commission must have a focus to guide its work. Dr. Horrell shared that since the last Commission meeting on July 9, she presented to the Colorado Children's Campaign Statewide Commission on High School Reform and discussed ways in which the two groups may be able to collaborate. She expressed her hope that the State Commission would not make recommendations that would impair the ability of districts to do what they need to do. In talking with other groups, she wants to be clear about the focus of the DPS Commission. The working draft vision statement prepared for this meeting is the result of conversations among Commissioners and should provide a working document that can be altered through the course of the Commission's work but that could serve as a focus to guide the Commission.

The working draft vision statement is: Denver's public high schools will be the best educational choice for parents and students. Every student who enters high school will graduate having mastered a rigorous and relevant curriculum in an environment that fosters strong, positive relationships.

Commissioner Jesse King said that he believes that the Commission needed a compass to guide its work. This vision could give the Commission a reference point while working in Action Groups. It is important, he noted, that this statement is seen as a working draft. It will be informed by the future work of the Action Groups.

Commissioner King then asked Commissioners to read the vision statement and reflect on their reactions to it. He asked Commissioners to respond to the statement, "The Commission should use this working draft vision statement to guide its work", by placing a green dot sticker in one of three areas on the board: "I agree", "I can live with it", or "I have difficulty with it".

Most Commissioners chose "I agree", a few chose "I can live with it", and a few chose "I have difficulty with it". There were also a few dots on the line between two statements.

Commissioner King asked people who placed dots in the "I agree" section to share why. A student Commissioner spoke first explaining that the relationships part of the statement was the most important part for her. She said all students in a school need to have positive relationships with adults who can also serve as role models to help them make good choices. Other comments shared included:

Commissioner King then asked people who placed dots in the "I have difficulties with it" section to share why. Responses included:

Another Commissioner responded that a vision statement is far-reaching. It must last in time. Vision statements must relate first and foremost to the people the organization is expected to serve- in this case the students. The vision is accomplished through the actions of teachers and administrators. When you look at your vision and ask how do we make this happen, that is when you discuss teachers and administrators.

Discussion followed that focused around the question of whether the vision should be far-reaching or more realistic. It was noted that some people in the district do not believe that having all students graduate is an achievable goal, so should the Commission have it as a goal. Another Commissioner observed that a vision needs to set forth something to strive for so that all the parties involved embrace it and progress toward that goal. It is important for people to constantly look at how they are doing compared to the goal and think about how they get closer to achieving it. Many other Commissioners expressed strong, passionate feelings that we must shoot for the stars for our students and asked how could we say that only some and not all students would graduate. Whose child would not graduate? Who would be the gatekeeper that decides?

There was also discussion among the Commissioners about how success would be measured. If specific benchmarks were set and not met, even by a very small amount, it would appear that efforts had failed even if there was some level of success.

The student Commissioners concluded the discussion with their thoughts that:

After the discussion, Commissioner King asked if everyone is willing to use this draft vision statement as the focus for our work, knowing that it would be shaped by the work of the Action Groups. Commissioners agreed to use this vision statement to move forward.

Dr. Horrell then led the Commission in thinking about how the group will do its work. She explained the decision to divide into three Action Groups focused on Teaching and Learning (Rigor and Relevance), Culture and Organization (Relationships), and Accountability (Results). She explained that each group will meet three times between September 13 and November 11 to develop a few actionable recommendations to bring to the Commission's retreat on November 11 and 12. Commissioners indicated which group they would like to join. The Action Groups were asked to meet together for the next 30 minutes to select a first meeting time and to think about what that group should focus on during their meetings and at the Student Shadowing school visits at the end of September.

At the end of the Action Group meeting time, groups reported out.

The Teaching and Learning Action Group shared the following questions:

The Culture and Organization Action Group shared the following reflections:

The Accountability Action Group shared the following reflections:

V. Student Shadowing Preparation - Trish McNeil

Ms. McNeil shared the following information with the Commissioners about the upcoming Student Shadowing School Visits September 27 - 30.

Student Commissioners suggested that when Commissioners visit schools that they are not too serious, that they dress down, and that they are honest and straightforward.

VI. Reform at North - Rev. Lucia Guzman and Principal Darlene LeDoux

Rev. Guzman began the presentation on North's reform by describing the current efforts to rebuild North's facilities. While some changes can be made in a few years, there are some changes that need to be made more quickly to ensure that students are learning in a good physical environment.

Principal LeDoux then introduced two students who shared their experiences at North high school. One student was a senior who said that she felt school was hard as a 9th grader. It was a big adjustment from middle school but there were always people who supported her. She was able to turn to teachers for help and support. Now she enjoys coming to school to learn every day and hopes to pursue a career in business, psychology or nursing after she graduates. She has help in thinking about college through the school counselor and the Daniels Fund Program. She believes that the development of her self-confidence through the support of the people around her helped draw her into learning and school.

The other student is a junior who also does well in school. She, too, felt that her freshman year was difficult. However, she had teachers who were there to help her when she got off task. She mentioned that the best teacher she had was someone who always told her he would help her and was supportive of her playing soccer, but who still pushed her hard to do her work. She is committed to doing well and graduating. She likes coming to school because it makes her feel that she is at home. She mentioned that the principal always says hello and makes her feel special. She said that most adults in the building are very helpful, but when asked the question from a Commissioner, she said that it seems some adults do not want to be there. She said that while some people from outside North view the school as having a lot of divisions, if someone spent a day at the school they would realize it is not like that.

Principal LeDoux, who is an Assistant Superintendent on Special Assignment in her 2nd year at North, then spoke to the Commission. She thanked the students for speaking, noting that people need to come together to help the students. She shared some statistics with the Commission demonstrating that although some improvements have been made (moving from Unsatisfactory to Low on the State Report Card and increasing the number of students who took the ACT), there is still a lot to do. She believes North is getting better every day by: setting high expectations, focusing on staff development, setting time for teachers to meet together every week, focusing on a professional learning community, and starting a 9th grade team to help the students just arriving at North. Principal LeDoux noted that one contributing factor to North's recent improvements is that she was able to pick her own Assistant Principals and feels that the dynamics of the school leadership are critical.

Principal LeDoux also shared information about North's Reform Committee. There are 60 members, including representatives from Padres and Jovenes Unidos, students from various clubs at North, teachers, two administrators and other community members. One challenge she faces is that there are many groups who want to help North and she needs to be sure that what groups can provide meets the school's reform plan. She also discussed the way the projected number of students and the actual number of students enrolled affects the number of teachers in a school. She shared North's master schedule with class size numbers indicated next to each class and talked about the difficult decisions she would have to make if actual enrollment fell short of what was projected.

In discussion with Commissioners, Principal LeDoux also noted:

Discussion also focused on how Denver Public Schools can be more competitive with other districts in hiring teachers. It was pointed out that currently, if a school has an opening, it must first open up the position to the pool of applicants who are already teaching within DPS. In addition, DPS hires much later in the spring than many other districts. It was indicated that both the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and the Board are trying to work out ways to remedy this situation.

VII. Closing Reflections - Dorothy Horrell and Rev. Lucia Guzman and Commissioners

The Co-Chairs thanked Principal LeDoux and thanked Commissioners for their thoughtful contributions to a productive meeting.

VIII. Adjourn

Meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

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