Advocates find new study suggesting validity of Denver Public Schools reform strategy controversial

A study from the University of Colorado Denver validates a school reform strategy once used in Denver.

The strategy involved closing low-performing schools and opening new ones to better serve students. The study found that students who transferred from closed schools to new ones showed improvements in test scores, particularly English learners and students with disabilities. Districtwide achievement also increased, which the study attributes to efforts to grant school leaders more autonomy, hold them accountable, and provide families with more school choices.

Many have suggested that the impact of school closures has been mixed, and the idea of using test scores to measure success has lost popularity in urban districts.

The Colorado Department of Education provided student-level panel data from the 2004-05 through 2018-19 school years for a subset of students in Denver Public Schools and 11 comparison districts selected based on geographic proximity to DPS. The data included information on school and district enrollment, grade level, race/ethnicity, gender, special education, English learner status, migrant and homeless status, state assessment test scores for grades 3 through 8 in math and English language arts, high school graduation rates, and college matriculation.

Denver Public Schools is now considering closing and merging schools due to a projected drop in enrollment, with around 6,000 fewer students expected by 2028. The district says this is necessary to remain financially stable and allocate resources effectively.

The study, which many find controversial, also suggests that education reforms enacted by DPS more than a decade ago increased graduation rates. However, the improvements did not benefit everyone, particularly students of color, according to the report.

"The question of whether Denver's reforms helped or hurt students, particularly low-income students and students of color, who make up a large majority of the district, is a matter of intense public debate," the study said. "Considering the stakes, it is vital that this debate be informed by empirical evidence."

The study adds that the reforms led to significant improvements in math and ELA test scores, as well as graduation rates, for the average DPS student and for various subgroups. Previous findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of Denver's reforms for the entire population of students enrolled in DPS and various subgroups over the 11 years of implementation.

"It is possible, however, that the improvements we found at the system level were not entirely due to the reforms themselves, but also to changes in the student population. Moreover, in conducting our prior research, we did not yet have access to student-level achievement data, which made it impossible to evaluate the effects of specific reform strategies," the study noted.

Despite these findings, some community advocates argue that the study is controversial.

"We run into kids all the time, and we ask them what happened, and they say they dropped out," said Jaqueline Falcon, a longtime DPS educator.

Falcon, a Manuel High School alumna and educator for 30 years, experienced her first school closure in 2006 when she was a teacher at her alma mater.

"You make the decision to close their schools and tell them it's for their good, telling them they're not doing well on tests. These are kids who are poor," Falcon said, tearing up. "Their parents don't know."

Manuel High School was closed due to low academic performance and other factors, including test scores and gang violence. Students were directed to other schools like Denver South. The school reopened in 2007, but Falcon says the damage was done.

Falcon argues that school closures disproportionately affect Black and brown communities, stripping students of their neighborhood schools.

"There were at least 300 kids who went to Denver South, and by the end of the year, there were fewer than 50," Falcon said.

In 2008, under the leadership of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, DPS adopted a new strategy: giving students school choice, closing low-performing schools, and opening new ones. Falcon believes that test results don't always reflect the full picture.

"You're shaming them," Falcon said. "You're shaming me because I taught there. In the end, it's not about that. Test scores are correlated with income and the education level of your parents."

The study was funded by groups that support school choice, raising concerns about potential bias. Former DPS principal Dr. Mike DeGuire questioned the study's findings.

"The reality is, even though there were gains, achievement gaps persisted. It's problematic to attribute the cause solely to the reforms because it doesn't work that way," DeGuire said.

Arnold Ventures and the Walton Family Foundation, both supporters of school choice, provided funding for the research.

DPS will present a list of schools recommended for closure or consolidation to the school board on Nov. 7. A community meeting will be held on Oct. 7 at CEC Early College for families to share their views.

Upcoming Community Engagement Meetings:

• Oct. 7: Northwest Regional Engagement Meeting at CEC Early College, 6 to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 14: Southwest Regional Engagement Meeting at Abraham Lincoln High School, 6 to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 15: Far Northeast Regional Engagement Meeting at Montbello High School, 6 to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 22: Virtual Engagement Meeting via Zoom, 6 to 7 p.m.