May 3, 2019
“As a parent with a special needs child, I learned lessons that I would never have learned as an educator.” -- Sandra Just
Special Education: Creating Positive Outcomes for All
Dear Team DPS,

Over the past ten months, I have had the privilege of hearing directly from parents, educators and advocates about special education in DPS. Their feedback led to the creation of the Special Education Task Force this past fall to address what seemed like a daunting challenge: Improving the academic and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities, particularly for our students of color.

Parents, educators and advocates met for months, led by our director of special education, Robert Frantum-Allen. Frantum-Allen was a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing for 20 years and he also has dyslexia. With his guidance, the task force developed a set of recommendations , which were presented to the Denver Board of Education this spring.

One of the task force members Sandra Just, a principal at Contemporary Learning Academy and the parent of a child with Down syndrome. Just knew that students in special education were not always able to access the education they deserved. She shared that, “As a parent with a special needs child, I learned lessons that I would never have learned as an educator.”

Though this can be challenging work, we do see hope. The board is preparing a resolution that will ensure that the needs of our students in special education are given the priority they deserve. The special education team is finalizing a strategic plan to deliver next steps in line with the recommendations of the task force. Several of our schools have already begun strong work on inclusion and professional learning to support students in special education.

One of these schools -- High Tech Elementary -- was founded on the principles of inclusion. “Every grade level has a special education teacher who has a voice in planning and instruction,” Dustin King, the team lead for the school’s Diverse Learners team said. “This helps us create an environment where every student gets to learn in the way that’s best for them.”

Smith Elementary saw a remarkable turnaround this past year in their Affective Needs Center, which supports students with intensive emotional disabilities. One of their teachers, Alexa Anderson, shared an uplifting story of a student in special education who was reluctant to engage when he was in the general education classroom. Another classmate, whose sibling has a disability, reached out to him and a connection was made. Now this student is improving academically and participating in discussions.

This is what we strive for -- for all students to have access to education and to become part of their school communities. In order for every student to achieve their potential, we must continue to collaborate with our community and our advocates to ensure that we are providing the best possible outcomes for every child.

Warm Regards,
Susana
Students Celebrate the 35th Annual Shakespeare Festival
Last Friday, over 5,000 DPS students celebrated and performed works of William Shakespeare at the 35th annual DPS Shakespeare Festival, hosted by the Denver Performing Arts Complex. It’s the largest student gathering of its kind in the country, drawing students from kindergarten through high school.
With their families, peers and educators watching on, students acted collaborative renditions of Shakespeare’s works, recited famous soliloquys, performed music and showcased creative art inspired by Shakespeare’s and his protégés’ works.
DPS Recognized for Gains in Advanced Placement Participation
The College Board has honored DPS in its Ninth Annual Advanced Placement (AP) District Honor Roll . DPS received this acknowledgement for the school district’s significant gains in student access and success. DPS is one of 373 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being celebrated by the College Board. This marks the fifth listing for DPS on the honor roll.
 
Developed by the College Board, the AP program offers high school students college-level courses and exams, which give students the opportunity to get a head start on earning college credit. DPS has offered AP courses for more than 30 years, and in that time has experienced exponential growth in both student participation and course offerings. In 2005, 853 DPS students took advantage of AP courses; today, that number has grown to 6,143 students participating in the program.
 
To earn the prestigious placement, DPS showed an increase in the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of three or higher. Additionally, DPS showed an increase in the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, African-American, Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increased or maintained the percentage of students of color scoring a three or above on at least one AP exam.
East High Students Tops in the Nation in Study of the U.S. Constitution
East High School's Constitutional Law Team.
After three days of simulated congressional hearings that tested their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, Denver’s East High School took top honors this week at the 32nd Annual We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals. The joy at winning the national championship was captured here on Twitter and featured on Fox 31 .  East’s team has been nationally competitive for years but hadn’t taken the top prize in a decade.
There were 56 classes representing 44 states that traveled to the nation's capital to participate in the academic competition. Students demonstrated their knowledge of the Constitution before simulated congressional committees made up of state supreme court judges, constitutional scholars, lawyers, public officials and We the People alumni. 

More information on the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program is available here .
DPS Retired Employees’ Scholarship Foundation Luncheon
The DPS Retired Employees’ Scholarship Foundation held its annual luncheon this past Saturday to award scholarships to DPS students. Of the 37 original applicants, eight were number one in their class, four were number two and 23 were in the top five.

This year’s recipients are: 
DPS Retired Employees’ Scholarship recipients.
  • Matthew Bulger and Malia McDorman, Thomas Jefferson High School
  • Sofia Bottinelli and Juliana Pfeifer, Denver School of the Arts
  • Samuel Korman and Jessie Miller, East High School
  • Ana Paola Kwan and Ahmed Moutwakil, George Washington High School
  • Mary Katherine Maloney and Lili Miller, South High School
  • Kinri Watson, Denver Center for International Studies
  • Emma Wenzel, Denver School of Science and Technology.

Congratulations!
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