The Denver school board is in the midst of radically changing its approach to school improvement, moving from an inflexible strategy that closed or replaced struggling schools to a more collaborative one that gives schools time to turn things around.
But itap clear that some schools still perceive district intervention as a threat. At the last school board meeting of the year — and the first regular meeting of a newly elected board — students, parents, and teachers lined up to give emotional testimony in defense of their schools. The crowd for Hallett Academy, an elementary school in northeast Denver, was so big it snaked down the aisle.
“As a parent, your most prized possession is your child,” said Emily Nelson, whose daughter is in first grade at Hallett. “In their eyes, you see the future. Our future has many years left at Hallett, but we need the support of the district to continue.”
For Hallett and the six other schools up for intervention, the school board unanimously approved the most forgiving option under district policy: a two-year improvement plan, meaning the schools have two years to boost student test scores.
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