Why Now?
Because Colorado kids deserve more
Colorado has more than 750,000 students enrolled in over 1,700 public schools. 187,000 of them will never finish high school. When compared to the nation, Colorado has some catching up to do. Colorado ranks 32nd worst in the nation on the poverty achievement gap in reading and 43rd in math. Colorado kids deserve more.
How can we turn these dismal figures around? Numerous indicators suggest that the creation of autonomous schools is a more effective and efficient approach to education reform than attempting to transform failing schools. For example, in Chicago new autonomous schools rank in the top five in all but one category for the Chicago Public Schools High School Score Card and have a 15% higher graduation rate than traditional district schools.
In Colorado, autonomous schools created in the last five years are the only schools making progress towards closing the achievement gap. But simply having autonomy is not enough to ensure a school’s success; autonomy must be paired with an effective leader.
Why does strong leadership make a difference?
- Research has found that leadership impacts student achievement the most in academic settings serving students who traditionally have not done well in school.
- Strong leaders are necessary to establish a clear school mission; to recruit, develop, and retain effective educators; and to provide teachers the leadership support they need to deliver high-quality instruction.
- Without strong leadership, autonomous schools will be ill-equipped to meet the goal of improving student achievement, especially for low income and minority families who have been systematically underserved by the traditional educational system.
Colorado kids deserve more. Get Smart and Get Started.
