Leaders look to community as zero hour for Denver Plan 2020 looms

Dive Brief:

With only two years to go, the Denver Public Schools is way behind schedule to meet the goals of its Denver Plan 2020, Chalkbeat reports.
Local education advocacy organization A Plus Colorado calculated it will take 13 more years for the district to have 80% of 3rd graders reading and writing at grade level, one of the plan's aggressive goals. It will take black and Latino students far longer.
Opinions differ on what went wrong and how to get on track. To find out, the seven members of the school board plan to ask the public for their thoughts by way of a community listening tour.

Dive Insight:

While Denver district leaders haven't yet decided what they'll do, exactly, with the feedback they obtain from the listening tour, the idea of engaging the community in improving student outcomes is a concept that is garnering attention. Nobody knows what a community needs better than its constituents. But with anecdotal evidence suggesting that communities have become less close-knit as social media "friends" reprise the roles formerly played by neighbors and the parents of a child's classmates, how can administrators bridge the lack of community and connect members of the community in supporting students?

Many community members might be business owners or subject experts, and thus have valuable ideas on how to share their expertise with educators. With an open-ended invitation to contribute, the wealth that comes forth from community members can be considerable. These community members might suggest experiential learning opportunities for students outside the school walls that connect curriculum with the real world that awaits.

Creating an asset map of surrounding neighborhoods can help crystallize not only who can contribute to classroom activities, but perhaps offer supplies at a discount or share some of their time for big projects. Libraries are usually key facilitators of school-community dialogue.

Research to determine the measurable impact of strong community-school dialogue and collaboration is ongoing. One study that looked at full-service community schools found better reading and math scores, lower absenteeism, and a decreased drop-out rate. A school does not exist in isolation. When parents, grandparents, businesses, libraries, museums, houses of worship, and community agencies come together to improve educational opportunities, everyone benefits.