Earlier this month, eight leaders from Denver Public Schools attended the Harvard University Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) Summer Institute. PELP is an opportunity for select school districts around the country to work on their most pressing issues with facilitators from the Harvard School of Business and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
The DPS PELP Team
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Dr. Alex Marrero, Superintendent
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Deborah Staten, Deputy Chief of Staff
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Moira Coogan, Denver School Leaders Association
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Robert Gould, Denver Classroom Teachers Association
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Kristin Bailey, Senior Counsel
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Dr. Barbara Downing, Discipline Program Manager – Psychologist – Whole Child Team
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Antonio Esquibel, Principal of Lincoln High School
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Nisha Ashley, Parent
During their time at the PELP Summer Institute, the DPS team worked on addressing their problem of practice which states: “Stakeholders are concerned with school safety in Denver Public Schools and have called for changes to policies and practices, including student discipline. In addition, current discipline policies and practices are implemented inconsistently. DPS strives to ensure safe and welcoming schools where all learners thrive equitably.”
Once the problem of practice is identified, districts then work alongside their Harvard Facilitators and Triad partners to create a “theory of action” which will guide them in solving their challenge when they return home.
What does success look like? As part of the work done at Harvard, the team drafted a vision statement, “All stakeholders (students, staff, teachers, leaders, parents, community) experience a renewed sense of safety and trust in and about the classroom where every learner will thrive.”
While the initial training took place in the summer, the PELP process will be an ongoing project with the DPS team and their Harvard facilitator working in collaboration to make the Theory of Action a reality.
