Achievement Results

Advancing quality school leadership

Get Smart Schools is proud to report great success in advancing our mission through our affiliated schools. Our programs have benefited countless school leaders and been a fundamental driver of new schools and strong school leadership. These achievements are already making a difference in the lives of children today and improving the quality of education for kids throughout Colorado. 

Get Smart Schools by the Numbers:

  • 4,056 students are enrolled in GSS affiliated schools for the 2011-12 school year
  • 2,861 students throughout Colorado were served by GSS schools in 2010-2011
  • 23 fellows have graduated from the leadership development program
  • 20 fellows have been placed into school leadership positions
  • 15 new schools have been formed (13 charters; 2 performance)
  • 3 existing schools are transitioning to Innovation schools or Pilot schools
Because GSS schools are so new, we have limited data on their performance, but early indications are promising. 

  • Of the 12 GSS schools for which there is performance data, 11 have student growth rates above the 50th percentile, meaning they are outperforming the state in student growth
  • Eight out of the twelve schools with data have higher student proficiency rates than their districts
  • In 2010-11, 73% of students in GSS schools qualified for free or reduced lunch
Get Smart Schools was recently selected as the first program of its kind to enter into a formal partnership with the George W. Bush Institute (GWBI). Through this partnership, we will work with the Alliance to Reform Education Leadership (AREL) to innovative and help transform the way we identify, recruit, prepare, empower and evaluate our education leaders. GSS will also assist AREL in establishing a national set of standards and policy conditions for leadership success.

The Bush Institute launched AREL in 2010. AREL is the largest initiative in history to enhance the achievement of America’s children by improving the performance of America’s school principals. AREL convenes experts from the public and private sectors, as well as the military and academia, to apply proven leadership practices to the important job of educating our children and running effective schools.

In June 2011, Get Smart Schools became one of the first organizations in the state approved by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to offer principal licensure to GSS fellows who graduate from the rigorous leader training program developed by GSS.