There’s a long and tumultuous history in Denver surrounding public-school desegregation, highlighted by the court-ordered busing that was used to deliberately reshape the racial makeup of neighborhood schools form 1973 to 1995. Those efforts were only partially successful, though, as some white parents reacted by moving their kids to private schools or the suburbs. And once busing ended, it wasn’t long before schools re-segregated.
Denver Public Schools has made great efforts to reduce racial segregation and has found some success in the past decade. Yet data analysis shows that more than half of Denver’s public schools have student bodies made up of 90% or more of kids of color. And it’s not limited to Denver. Most other metro-area districts would have to move large numbers of students before their schools would reflect the racial makeup of their districts.
In today’s Denver Post, education writer Meg Wingerter examines the segregation levels within Denver Public Schools and looks at the ways the district is working to make schools better represent their communities — as well as the idea that it’s equal resources, not necessarily a certain racial makeup, that is most important.
— , Denver Post enterprise editor
More than half of Denver’s public schools are segregated, 25 years after busing ended
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Five of The Denver Post’s best stories this week
Can these three Republicans save the Colorado GOP from obscurity?
Colorado Republicans face a long road back to power. In 2018, the state’s unaffiliated voters — incensed by President Donald Trump — sided overwhelmingly with Democrats and gave the party total control of state government.
To better understand the challenges the GOP faces — and what hope may exist — The Denver Post talked with three Republicans who are taking different paths in the attempt to lead the party out of obscurity. Read more from Nic Garcia.
Abandoned yellow diamond is just one mystery in Colorado treasurer’s vault
The Great Colorado Payback is Colorado’s way of reuniting about $1 billion of lost bank accounts, stocks, unpaid wages, life insurance payouts and even the contents of safety deposit boxes with their rightful owners or heirs. Read more from Anna Staver.
As death toll increases nationwide, parents confirm Colorado college student was hospitalized with vaping-related illness
As the number of deaths related to a mysterious vaping-related illness increased Friday, the parents of a Colorado college student who was hospitalized with the lung condition are calling on federal regulators to “clamp down” on the makers of e-cigarette devices. Ruby Johnson’s daughter, Piper, spent a week in a Colorado hospital after developing a severe lung illness that has been liked to e-cigarettes. Read more from Jessica Seaman.
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Kaiser Permanente Colorado, now 50, facing midlife struggles
Kaiser Permanente Colorado has made its mark in the state as both the lowest-cost and largest provider of health care coverage. But as Kaiser celebrates 50 years in Colorado, it faces several challenges to keep care affordable, from unhappy workers preparing to strike to a bruising battle with hospital partners over fees. Read more from Aldo Svadli.
Some owners of short-term rentals in Denver are giving up their licenses, rather than risk criminal charges
Hundreds of Denver property owners are shutting the door on short-term-rental investments as Denver cracks down on rule-breakers in a way no other American city is doing. This summer, the district attorney’s office, in cooperation with the excise and licenses department, began filing criminal charges against people who investigators say lied on their paperwork. Read more from Saja Hindi.
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