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DPS Celebrates Installation of All-Gender Restroom Sign
Warriors from Collegiate Prep Academy celebrated the installation of an all-gender restroom sign on Friday, March 6, 2020. This day was a sign of things to come in Denver Public Schools — every DPS school and facility will have at least one all-gender restroom thanks to a resolution introduced by Denver Board of Education Member Tay Anderson and passed unanimously in January the same year. -
DPS participates in the 35th Annual MARADE!
Some of our DPS Belong groups along with other DPS teammates participated in the 35th Annual Marade in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 20, 2020. -
Leslie L. Juniel Becomes New Executive Director of Equity and Culture
Leslie L. Juniel assumed the role of Executive Directorof Equity and Culture in May, 2019. A Denver native and alumnae of Montbello High School, Leslie L. Juniel brings professional knowledge, personal experience and a community voice to her role as Executive Director of Equity and Culture. Leslie previously served as Senior Program Manager of Equity Initiatives on the Culture, Equity and Leadership Team where she led the implementation of African-American Equity Task Force recommendations and other equity initiatives. She also served as Manager of Training and Employee Development. Leslie is an alumna of DPS (Montbello Warriors) and is proud to represent five generations of DPS attendees and graduates! Leslie has also worked for INROADS, Inc., the Rocky Mountain News, YouthBiz, Inc., Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver, Girls Scouts Mile Hi Council and the Colorado Marrow Donor Program at Bonfils Blood Center. -
Focus on Achievement: Targeted Supports for Black Students
The Denver Board of Education took an in-depth look at targeted supports for black students during its Focus on Achievement session in December, 2018, hearing from students, community partners and the African American Equity Task Force.
“I think it’s really important, as we talk about our African-American students, that we recognize the incredible gems they are,” said Board Member Jennifer Bacon as she opened the discussion. “Even though we may put some things on the table that are hard to receive, we want to be sure, as we are talking about opportunities, they are rooted in the assets of black children.” -
When it Comes to Equity and Inclusion, Students Can Teach Us A Lot
Eleven brave individuals from the Young African-American and Latinx Leaders (YAALL) lead an Ed Talk in February, 2018, about the implicit bias that creeps into the minds of even the most well-intentioned educators, forever altering the experience of so many students—students like Kevante Hobley.
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Dr. Sharon Bailey Recognized as Distinguished Educator of the Year
The Education Center (TheEduCtr) has selected Dr. Sharon Bailey as their Distinguished Educator of the Year. This award waswill be presented at the Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala on Friday, March 2, 2018.The Education Center (TheEduCtr) is a nonprofit organization composed of a group of veteran educators promoting and advocating for excellence in education via educational workshops to empower educators and parents to become advocates for students who are at risk of not completing their education. For more information, visit: www.theeductr.com
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Balance of Power: How Denver Public Schools is Fighting Institutionalized Racism
Reporter Anusha Roy sat down with Allen Smith, the head of the DPS Culture, Equity & Leadership Team, and Dr. Sharon Bailey, who wrote the Bailey report, to talk about hiring more minority teachers, taking a close look at the curriculum and what other steps DPS is taking to work on this issue.DPS commissioned the Bailey Report to take a look at how racism is playing out in its classrooms and impacting African-American students. These are findings that DPS says are impacting other minority kids as well.
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DPS Launches a New African-American Equity Task Force
The African American Equity Task Force launched in fall of 2016 after release of the Dr. Bailey report, which explored the factors contributing to the opportunity gap that exists for our African-American students and educators.
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Inspiring Hope For Equity
When our DPS Culture, Equity and Leadership Team (CELT) kicked off the first meeting of our African-American Equity Task Force, the conversation started with hope.
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Acknowledging Institutional Racism, Denver Public Schools Details Response to Black Educators’ Concerns
Two months after a critical report detailed how black educators feel mistreated by Denver Public Schools — and feel the needs of African-American students are going unmet — school district officials outlined in more detail a plan for how they would respond on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.“The first thing we must do is we must acknowledge what was in the report,” said Allen Smith, the newly hired associate chief of DPS’s Culture, Equity and Leadership Team, who is spearheading the efforts. “We cannot run away from it. We cannot hide from it. It’s there.”
Speaking at a press conference at Columbine Elementary in northeast Denver, surrounded by African-American community leaders and district brass, he added: “We have to sit down and work together and grapple with tough conversations.”
