Recommendation 1: The AAETF recommends that Denver Public Schools provide funding for the creation of an African American Equity Team that will ensure the African American Equity Agreement is upheld, effectively implemented and evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Review our progress in specific recommendation areas below.

Recommendation 1: We recommend that every school and department creates and publicly disseminates an Equity Plan that outlines both its commitment to equity and its plan to address inequity for African American students and employees.

Recommendation 2: We recommend that DPS adapt and expand the SPF Equity Indicator to integrate additional data that provide a more robust understanding of a school’s “equity performance.” This additional data is crucial for effective school-level progress monitoring and accountability related to equity for African American students and other marginalized groups.

Recent Accomplishments: DPS has partnered with Harvard RIDES to conduct a central office culture audit.

Recent Progress: The New York City Leadership Academy (NYCLA) is helping DPS create a plan for coaching on equitable practices for African American/Black students, providing research-based frameworks and tools that are adapted to the District context. No other District has created a long-term equitable practices coaching strategy with an intentional focus on race.

Recommendation 1: We recommend that DPS develop and implement systems to support consistent and ongoing professional development focused on improving instruction, engagement and communication with African American students, families and community members.

Recommendation 2: We recommend that DPS ensure curricular materials are culturally responsive to African American students.

Recent Accomplishments: DPS hired Culturally Responsive Education Specialists (CRE) for each of the six regions in the district, which will help advance asset-based cultural and linguistic responsive practices for African American/Black students. We have also expanded professional learning sessions (i.e. CRE 101, CRE in White Spaces) to Fall and Winter Leadership Week.

Recent Progress: The Academics Division has begun putting together an internal process to do continuous, ongoing curricula reviews. This work involves relying on our internal stakeholders, such as our teachers, leaders and central office staff, and simultaneously working with external consultants whose background in culturally responsive curriculum reviews will help strengthen the way we make this work a part of our district DNA. We are working with Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) and Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) through professional learning, allowing our central teams to develop an internal framework for culturally responsive curricula reviews in DPS.

Recommendation 1: We recommend that DPS develop and implement an African American Equitable Access Plan that increases African American students’ access to high value learning opportunities such as: Advanced Placement (AP), Gifted, Talented (GT/Honors), Concurrent Enrollment, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEM/STEAM), CareerConnect, International Baccalaureate (IB), Middle Year Programming (MYP), student leadership and magnet programs.

Recent Accomplishments: CareerConnect, which one year ago did not have a proportionate number of African American/Black students enrolled, is now at representation, with 13% of students enrolled identifying as African American/Black. Concurrent Enrollment participation by African American/Black students has increased over the past three school years (2016-17 to 2018-19) to the point where the gap in African American/Black representation in Concurrent Enrollment classes is around 1%.

Recent Progress: DPS launched the African American Success Network, a targeted support for students to develop career aspirations and discuss navigating personal and professional spaces as someone who is African American/Black. The program started with 30 students, half from McAuliffe at Manual and half from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College. African American/Black professionals from across Denver volunteered their time to provide relatable real-world insight and career guidance to students.

Recommendation 1: We recommend that DPS establish Community and Family Opportunity Centers (CFOs) that respond to and serve African American students and families living in Far Northeast and Near Northeast neighborhoods.

Recommendation 2: We recommend that DPS create school-level and district level Black Family Advisory Councils that give voice to the goals, needs and concerns of African American students, families and community members.

Recommendation 3: We recommend that DPS design and disseminate a supportive assessment and planning tool that assists African American students and families in successfully navigating the school process at all levels, ECE through 12th grade.

Recent Accomplishments: The Family and Youth Services team within the Family and Community Engagement department partnered with the DPS Foundation and the Denver Office of Children’s Affairs and was awarded $60,000 in funding from Bank of America to leverage towards the My Brother’s Keeper Summer of Success Initiative. With an additional $41,500 in funding provided by Denver Economic Development and Opportunity through the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program grant, FACE will leverage $101,500 to provide 50 young men of color meaningful remote work experiences this summer.

Recent Progress: The AAETF began the African American Parent and Family Institute which launched it’s Anchored Series, remote learning circles, and provided an opportunity for students and parents to attend the annual African American Youth Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs. The Anchored series created large-scale events that honor Black student excellence through a student nomination and recognition process, drawing approximately 370 people. They are centered in celebration and relevant information to support students’ educational journeys. Most recently, the AAPFI shifted to remote engagement due to district closure, and has hosted four virtual Black family listening and learning circles. Click here for more information!

Recommendation 1: We recommend that DPS create a district-led HR Task Force responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of equitable recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal, and compensation processes and practices.

Recommendation 2: We recommend that DPS develop both systems and structures to attract and retain African American educators.

Recent Accomplishments: Talent Acquisition is continuing our recruiting efforts in order to attract more teachers of color to DPS. New for the 2020-21 recruitment season, recruiters have been conducting phone interviews with every new candidate of color who applies to be a teacher in DPS. As of May 18th, 14% of our new teacher and Special Service Providers are African American/Black, for a total of 24 new hires. Additionally, 22% of our newly hired Principals and Assistant Principals are African American/Black, for a total of 11 new hires.

Recent Progress: The Human Resources team has developed targeted recruitment and retention programs that will help to improve our educator representation over time. We retain 59% of our teachers and 62% of our SSPs who are African American/Black over five years compared to 53% of white educators, which means we have above-average retention for our African American/Black educators.