DPS Board approves Envision Charter School

by Elisa Cohen

First published in the North Denver Tribune

NORTH DENVER – In a effort to bring innovation to Denver Public Schools, the district put out a call for alternative schools to add to the educational mix available to Denver students. On June 26, the DPS School Board voted to approve two such schools with a stated desire to serve students in Northwest and Northeast Denver.  Although by the time the plan reached the vote, the charter application had eliminated the location as part of its application, several board members spoke of the need for such a middle school to serve students in Northwest and Near-Northeast Denver. The Envision Schools Colorado will be 6th-12th grade. This board approval means the new 6th-12th grade school will be up and running by 2009 with 6th and 7th grade students. The school will add grades each year until the school reaches its 705 enrollment goal.

Ethan Hemming, deputy director of new schools office, wrote to the school board, “As noted in the attached staff report, the proposed school meets a high priority need in Denver, as identified by the Request for Proposals, has provided compelling evidence of support from the community, and has a high likelihood of success, as it is based on a thriving school model in California.  Therefore, staff recommends that the Board of Education approve the Envision Academies 1 & 2.”

The assertion that adequate community support warranted a new charter school rankled some members of the community. Christopher Scott of Northwest Parents for Excellent Schools (NWPES) wrote in an email to the NWPES board members, “Donnell-Kay and Piton have decided, without any formal input from the community, that Envison would be an excellent model for NW Denver in a 6 – 12 setting.”

Limited data available at www.ed-data.k12.ca.us  shows math scores in the California Envision schools fell short of the promised exceptional results.

Padres Unidos, a local parent advocacy organization, was cited on the application as supporting the new charter school.
What will the new charter school accomplish? According to the proposal available on the DPS website, “Envision Academies 1 and 2 will be based on the successful Envision Schools model, which currently operates in four schools in California. The focus of Envision Schools is to serve those who will be the first in their family to attend college. Students and teachers in the academies will be part of small learning communities, called “houses,” where they will work collaboratively to build respect, trust, and openness to learning together. Students will utilize skillfully developed, tested and implemented project-based learning models. The 4 R’s (Rigor, Relationships, Relevance, Results) will become institutionalized in day-to-day practice. Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding and depth of knowledge via public exhibitions and other means. All students will create learning portfolios, which will serve as the basis of their eventual graduation.”
North Denver DPS Board Member Arturjo Jimenez voted against the new charter schools.