The emotions surrounding the closure of several Denver schools two years ago are hard to forget: Teachers were saddened. Parents appealed. Students asked, why?
As difficult as it was to close eight elementary schools and reprogram five other schools, an analysis of test results released this week showed it was a good move.
Colorado Student Assessment Program scores for children who left failing programs show that they are performing better academically in their new schools than in their old.
That is a heartening development. Achievement, after all, ought to be the primary mission of the public school system.
The Denver Public Schools board and then-superintendent Michael Bennet deserve credit for making the controversial moves and weathering the blowback.
The goal was to put students in settings where they were better positioned to learn, and to close under- enrolled schools as a way to save money that could be used to improve education.
The board and Bennet caught a lot of flak for the moves, but they stuck with the plan to close Del Pueblo, Hallett, Fallis, Mitchell, Smedley, Remington, Wyman and Whiteman elementary schools.
According to a DPS analysis, the 2,000 students who were involved in the shuffle made more academic progress in their new schools, scoring better in the core subjects of math, writing and reading.
There was no word, however, whether these students had scored “proficient” on the state assessment test, or were getting close.
Progress is wonderful, but reaching proficiency, ultimately, is the goal. The district has significant challenges in making that happen, including language barriers and the relatively low skill levels that some children bring to DPS.
The district, now led by Superintendent Tom Boasberg, is not inclined to use those circumstances as excuses, and we’ve always been glad for that. Boasberg is committed to making serious progress moving large blocs of students to proficiency, as well as raising the district’s dismal graduation rate.
Moving that needle is a monumental challenge, but it is — and should be — the central mission at DPS.
We look forward to seeing the full analysis of test scores from those displaced students and are glad to see DPS’s reliance on data to assess whether its reforms are working.
Tackling the tough problems in education is never easy, but progress can be made when educators keep the interests of students foremost in their minds.
