Parent Resources

Calendar

DPS Calendar https://www.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-24-District-Calendar-English-combined-1.pdf

Black Excellence Plan

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Samuels Black Excellence Plan 2023-2024

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

“But what if, all along, these well-meaning efforts at closing the achievement gap have been opening the door to racist ideas? What if different environments lead to different kinds of achievement rather than different levels of achievement? What if the intellect of a low-testing Black child in a poor Black school is different from and not inferior to- the intellect of a high-testing White child in a rich White school? What if we measured intelligence by how knowledgeable individuals are about their own environments? What if we realized the best way to ensure an effective educational system is not by standardizing our curricula and tests but by standardizing the opportunities available to all students?” –Ibram X. Kendi

“To be an educator in America today means that your students’ test scores, GPAs, and graduation rates are the primary measures of your effectiveness. Standardized exams drive everything from curriculum to teaching. As a result, many teachers believe that anything aside from teaching to the test will be detrimental to students and teachers alike. This makes it easy for some educators to ascribe to the “Don’t smile till November” mantra. Teachers become adept at creating high-pressures focused more on testing than teaching. Teachers are reduced to test-prep machines.

White folks who teach in the hood are particularly prone to this sort of rote model. This is especially the case if they are convinced that having all students pass tests creates some form of equity. In these cases they are so married to a curriculum that is sold as the only path to passing the test there is no willingness to deviate from it even if it is harming students. Furthermore, teaching for an exam and strictly following a curriculum makes it easier for these teachers to remain emotionally disconnected from students.” –Christopher Embdin

● Continued work to raise awareness of segregation across SE Denver schools and advocate for more parameters within enrollment practices to mitigate segregation.