H. ALLEN SMITH II

H. ALLEN SMITH II Candidate Dossier

Presented by: Jim Huge and Associates

Contents

Candidate Summary ......................................................................................... Section 1

Cover Letter ..................................................................................................... Section 2

Candidate Resume ........................................................................................... Section 3

Candidate Questionnaire ................................................................................. Section 4

Additional Information .................................................................................... Section 5

Notes ............................................................................................................... Section 6

Candidate Summary

H. ALLEN SMITH II

� Mission driven leader � Innovative thinker who makes things happen � Able to mobilize others in support of the vision � Demonstrated leadership in successful innovative districts � Strong capacity builder

Current situation:

Chief of Schools (2014 - Present) Oakland Unified School District

Past leadership positions: Community Superintendent (2013 – 2014) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Executive Director, Denver Summit School Network (2010 – 2013) Principal (2006 – 2011) Denver Public Schools Co-Founder and Principal (2003 – 2006) Skyland Community High School Denver, CO

Highest degree attained: MA, Education, Denver University

ORGANIZATIONAL/CULTURE CHANGE EXPERTISE • Improved turnover in his division from 85%

to 0%. INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TALENT AND TURNAROUND • Increased graduation rate, college

acceptance and enrollment at his turnaround high school.

• Led all schools in the network of persistently underperforming schools to meet or exceed district and state standards by end of first year.

EXPERTISE WITH SIMILAR STUDENT POPULATIONS • Oakland, Charlotte and Denver

DISTRICT COMPARISON (most recent available data)

District Oakland, CA Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC Denver, CO Enrollment 47,194 142,991 86,046 # Schools 123 165 184 % Charter Schools 25.2% 0.0% 22.8% % Econ. Disadvantaged 74.4% 54.7% 72.0% % Minority 90.2% 69.2% 78.8% % ELL 30.7% 9.6% 31.5% % SPED 10.7% 9.5% 0.0% Pupil-Teacher Ratio 22.42 16.51 16.06 Total Budget ($M) $604 $1,236 $1,057 Per-Pupil Expenditure $12,809 $8,852 $13,041

Cover Letter

Herbert Allen Smith

April 19, 2016

Jim Huge and Associates Attn: Jim Huge 2779 Shadow Dancer Trail Reno, Nevada, 89511

Dear Dr. Gentry,

Please accept this letter as official notification of my interest in the Director of Schools position with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. I have reviewed the qualifications and researched in great detail and I am excited with the alignment between the desires of MNPS and my skill sets, professional experiences, and personal values.

I will bring significant strengths to this position, specifically:

� Systems and Instructional Leadership � Internal and external community engagement � Culture building and change management � Innovative practices � Turnaround success � Positive relationships with Board and key stakeholders

As educators, we all know how important instructional leadership is. As excellent educators we are aware of the significant role culture, student and stakeholder engagement plays in increasing academic achievement. While scaffolding, differentiated instruction strategies and the ability to apply core competencies and standards is essential, the delivery medians to reach our current students is far from conventional. It is even more complex when leading and changing district culture. It is my strong belief that inspirational, innovative and collaborative systems leadership is paramount to successfully educate students, develop leaders and engage community - taking education from compliance to engagement. By putting meaningful systems and structures in place to enhance learning, setting high expectations for all students, and personalized learning, Nashville will become a top-performing school district in the country and together we will model what can be done in urban education.

I bring to MNPS 17 years of professional expertise in the areas of school and district leadership, Coaching, Principal Development, fiscal management, Strategy Development and Public speaking in Denver Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Oakland Unified Schools. My results are proven to improve the culture, retain and attract top talent, turnaround schools, build community engagement and increase student achievement for all. In addition, my work ethic, level of integrity, ability to make tough decisions, genuine connections with people, a deep conviction for education and a can-do spirit make me a wonderful team player, collaborator and leader. I thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving, thought-provoking work environment that fosters both opportunities for empowerment and autonomy.

My resume outlines my professional skill, recent accomplishments relevant to this position, work history and education. I am certain you will be satisfied with the expertise I will bring to MNPS.

I look forward to a formal interview and the discussion on next steps.

Sincerely, Allen Smith

Candidate Resume

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")��%�/��-�0)%12-2�%#2�."• Manage 86 schools 48,000 students in Oakland

Unified School District • Oversee $500 million dollar District budget • Negotiated bargaining agreement with teacher’s

union for a significant increase. First in 12 years. • Directly supervise two Deputy Chiefs, Continuous

School Improvement and College and Career Readiness. I also supervise 12 principal supervisors and 7 support staff

• Named 5 historically performing schools and designed an intensive school process to reopen these schools with new leadership, new programs and structures

• Deliver Superintendent Report to Board in the Superintendent’s absence

• Regularly meet and communicate with Board of Directors around initiatives, upcoming policies and reports

• Meet with leaders in Oakland, including the Mayor, City Council and community leaders to communicate District plans and actions

• Led 21 schools in Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, which consist of three high schools, two middle schools, three k-8 and 13 elementary. Six are magnet, 15 are Title 1.

• Instituted and oversee the BES(t) Program for 10 additional schools in CMS

• Managed 12 turnaround schools in Denver Public Schools (Denver Summit Schools Network) http://turnaround.dpsk12.org

• Manage multi-million dollar district and school budgets operating in the black for nine years

• Secured over $17 million from private funders to bring resources to Denver Summit Schools Network

• Mentor Principal of 14 DPS principals 2007-2009 • Chair of Principal Leadership Council (18 principals) • 96% Teacher retention 2007-2010 • Led year-long, successful effort to achieve

Innovation Status 2010 (Largest school in the nation to receive this status)

• Harvard Learning Lab participant with Assistant Principals (5), Richard Elmer

• Far Northeast Regional Athletic Chair • Founder & Principal; Skyland Community High

School; DPS Charter School Start-Up Experience • Changed school leadership structure from

Collaborative School Committee (10 leaders) to School Governance Board (19 teacher leaders)

• Human Capital with all teachers to attend learning conferences. (Art, Kagan, Instructional Rounds, SPED)

• Secured partnership with City Year, placed 25 “Near Peer” in the neediest schools in DPS

• Secured partnership with ExecConnect, 40 mentors and internships for students at CPA

• White House Together for Tomorrow site city, obtained 7 Americore Vistas and model for increased student engagement

• Partnership with Blueprint School Network, to lead transformation of school turnaround

• Operation HOPE Model City for Financial Literacy, HOPE Business in a Box

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Additional Information

Martin Luther King Jr.'s remarkable turnaround Audra Ensign Reporter

April 23, 2009 http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-mlkschool-042309,0,2641840.story

DENVER— It was once considered one of the worst schools in America. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College here in Denver had a reputation so bad, the school received national attention back in the early nineties. But times have changed and the school is now making strides towards a new future. "When I first came here I thought it was a war zone to be honest with you, I thought it was out of control, said Principal Allen Smith.

Smith is the fourth principal in two years. He came to MLK knowing about it's reputation but still decided to take on the challenge of turning the school around for good. "Once they see that you truly care for them, they'll want to do anything you want them to do and they'll do it well," said Smith. Sixty-five percent of the teachers were let go and a new staff was hired. Smith also enforced a new dress code, got rid of the gang problem at the school and put some new rules into place. But the most important change of all was that he allowed the students to see their dreams could really come true. "These kids are going to get the best education, the best opportunities that anyone else would get at any other school and whatever we have to do to get them that, that's what we are committed to," said Smith. The school is now fourth in the district and the high school has an overall GPA of 3.3. Attendance is at 93% and they've won numerous awards both academically and athletically. "There is a lot of work that these kids are doing that is really rich and deep and I never thought that I was going to see that." Smith says he doesn't take any credit for the changes and that if it wasn't a group effort the school could still be in the shadows of where it used to be. "If it wasn't for the teachers, for the security guards, if it wasn't for the janitorial staff, the office staff then it wouldn't have got done, I'm one person I couldn't do it all," said Smith. Next month all 70 of the school's seniors will be graduating and all of them plan on attending college.

Copyright © 2011, KDVR-TV

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Letter to Awardees

SSalute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala 2013

Congratulations! TheEduCtr has selected you Herbert “Allen” Smith to receive the award of Stellar Performer Award . This award will be presented to you at the Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala, on Friday, March 1, 2013, 7:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel 3801 Quebec, Denver, Colorado 80207 (Quebec and Smith Roads – in Stapleton). This will be a great event to honor Black Educators in the State of Colorado who exemplify high standards of excellence in education. All awards will be presented by our Colorado Legislators. Please send a letter of immediately to confirm that you will accept this award!

� You must arrive at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2013. Go immediately to our VIP Reception room –on second floor and check in with our greeters. As our Awardees and VIP for this event your ticket is FREE-and includes dinner. What should you wear to this special event: Formal Dress or After 5.

� You will receive one free VIP Ticket for your Guest-includes dinner. Group and individual tickets can be purchased online at www.etix.com (after February 1, 2013) or we will have our retired educators deliver them to you. You are expected to attend our special VIP Reception in your honor at 5:00 p.m. on the day of the event (family members are welcome to attend). You are also expected to stay for the VIP Gala Reception in your honor immediately after the program from 9:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Live Band. Cocktails will be available for purchase during the entire Salute.

If you want to stay at the hotel where the event is being held instead of driving home making this a weekend to remember with friends and family; we have a reduced price for your hotel stay. The beautiful Renaissance Hotel will hold your reservations with a credit card (limited rooms-please call by February 1, 2013) so please call Hotel Direct Line (303) 399-7500 and ask for reservations, room block for The Education Center – on Friday, March 1, 2013, (Room prices $99.00 (NO Breakfast) or $109.00 (Breakfast for one person) and $119.00 Breakfast for two). Check in at 3:00 p.m. and check-out at 11:00 a.m.

� Additional Salute tickets for family members, colleagues, etc., can be purchased online at www.etix.com (after February 1, 2013). We can also deliver your tickets. Please purchase tickets in advance ($50/person in advance), $25.00 /under 18, and $65/person at door (LIMITED) or $500/Reserved VIP Table of 10 people. There will be over 600+ educators and guest this year so, if you know of anyone who would like to advertize for a small fee in our Souvenir Book or set up an informational vendor booth, have them contact us. If your school, sorority/fraternity, organization would like to advertize, become a sponsor, or have an informational booth please have them complete form attached or contact us.

� For questions, tickets, and other info please contact Annette Sills-Brown at 720-326-5176 or 720-447-3358. Email us at [email protected] or online at www.TheEduCtr.com , purchase tickets at www.etix.com

Sincerely,

Annette Sills-Brown Chairperson Attachment

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Montbello schools undergo transformations 6:44 PM, Jul 20, 2011 | http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=209050

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011 denver and the west

More students on track to graduate By Jeremy P. Meyer The Denver Post Posted: 02/04/2010 01:00:00 AM MST Updated: 02/04/2010 03:13:40 PM MST http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14329706

Evelyn Miranda, 14, a student at Martin Luther King Jr. Early College, gets a hug and a kiss from her mother, Blanca Barrera, after the girl won a $500 Hope Scholarship on Wednesday. Next to her, Miguel Canales, 15, a friend of Miranda's, waits to congratulate her. Miranda, an eighth-grader, constantly got into trouble last year but greatly improved her grades to win the scholarship. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post )

Jorge Robles, 12, a student at Martin Luther King Jr. Early College, raises his hand for Derek Hawkins, a coordinator with the Restorative Intervention program at the school, during a boys' meeting on Tuesday. Hawkins, a former Marine, works with youths who have shown consistent behavioral problems at the school. (THE DENVER POST | ANDY CROSS)

Denver school officials can barely contain their excitement over recent high school data showing hundreds more students enrolled, taking tougher college-prep courses and on track to graduate.

"This is among the most positive data we have seen in the last three or four years," said Superintendent Tom Boasberg, who took over the leadership of Denver Public Schools one year ago. "This is work. A lot of really good work is going on."

And Denver has company.

Across Colorado, 4.8 percent more 12th-graders are enrolled in the 2009-10 school year than the previous school year.

Gains are even more pronounced in the metro area, where Aurora Public Schools saw a 23.7 percent increase in 12th-graders, Denver a 23.6

Martin Luther King Jr. Early College school principal, Allen Smith, center, talks with students Tyrein West, left, 11, and Terreion Bates, 12. (THE DENVER POST | ANDY CROSS) percent jump and Adams Five Star a 20 percent boost.

State education officials suspect the surge in high school seniors is the result of a combination of recent changes and initiatives.

In 2006, the legislature lifted the compulsory age at which students must be in school to 17 from 16. Students in their fifth year of high school are counted as 12th-graders.

Last year, a new law streamlined the systems that allow students to get college credit in high school. And metro districts also began focusing more efforts on dropout-recovery programs.

DPS officials also credit the Denver Scholarship Foundation and high school Future Centers, which offer computer terminals and staff that help students apply for college and get scholarships.

Today, the figures will be presented to Denver's school board in a special session focused on achievement.

Digging deeper into the report, the district's figures show kernels of success:

• Overall high school attendance is up 5 percentage points over the past two years to 87.5 percent.

• The number of ninth-graders after one semester who are on track to graduate increased to 83.1 percent in 2009 from 68 percent in 2007.

• Over the past year, the number of students taking credit-recovery courses has soared to about 2,400 students last fall from about 600 students in fall 2008.

• The number of AP exams taken increased by about 67 percent over the past five years, and the number of tests that received passing grades rose by about 40 percent.

• The number of DPS students enrolled in college courses increased 69 percent over the past four years to 1,842 students in 2008-09.

Throughout the hallways at Martin Luther King Jr. Early College, the evidence of the district's high school surge is palpable and tangible.

Among traditional high schools, the school has the highest percentage of freshmen on track to graduate, at 97.3 percent.

"The kids feel safe here; they feel engaged," said principal Allen Smith, who produced a DVD to promote the school that begins with its sordid past and a report by ABC News years ago that called it the country's worst school, an image supported with hidden video of students out of control.

"It still has some of that stigma," Smith said, adding that the school was designed with the same layout as a medium-security prison.

But Smith last year got rid of 40 teachers, kicked out 32 disruptive students and worked on the school's culture. The staff is focused on attendance, helping students who are academically slipping and providing interventions.

Districtwide, the number of out-of-school suspensions is falling — decreasing about 44 percent over the past six years.

On a recent weekday, Derek Hawkins, an ex-Marine and one of MLK's interventionists, led a "boys group," talking to eight sixth-graders who have been prone to violence about how to avoid getting into fights, advising them to talk it out before fighting.

"You got to learn to use these," he said, pointing at his lips. "Instead of these," he said, raising his fists.

Denver Post staff writer Burt Hubbard contributed to this report. Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or [email protected]

1

School Turnarounds: The Essential Role of Districts (Educational Innovations Series)

by Heather Zavadsky (Author), Steven J. Adamowski (Foreword)

Chapter 5

Denver

Noteworthy practice area: Implementing an innovative regional approach with unique charter

school partnerships.

Chapter Highlights

1. Diverse school options

2. Data-driven, strong performance management

3. Innovative school models, particularly charter partnerships

4. Regional approach

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Turnaround Strategy

Prior to 2009, Denver’s approach to low-performing schools was primarily marked by numerous

school closures due to decreasing enrollments and poor performance. In 2009, the district

embarked upon a longer-term, more ambitious district-level turnaround plan that has seen

successes as well as bumps along the road from opponents of the plan. The first year of the new

turnaround strategy, 2009, was mostly dedicated to building and gaining buy-in for the district

2010 strategic plan and putting together the structures to implement the plan. Those structures

included fine-tuning the school accountability system, creating a decision-making structure to

identify schools and their type of intervention, improving community engagement, and making

instructional improvements.

Figure 1 below illustrates the theory of action outlined in the 2010 strategic plan, called the 2010

Denver Plan that is applied to the district’s entire work, including turnaround schools. The

illustration shows that all strategies point to the student, who is affected by the instructional core.

The three main pillars of the work are found in the yellow circle: 1) “great people” working

inside the district, 2) family and community engagement, and 3) strategic management of

financial resources. All three of the main pillars are in place to support teachers and principals in

3

their daily work with students. The culture embedded within the process is illustrated on the

outside rim and consists of high expectations, service empowerment, and responsibility.

[insert figure 1]

To improve accountability, DPS developed a system that would provide better information about

school and district performance by including measures beyond the state test and the federal

measurement, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). To capture a student’s progress over a year,

DPS developed the School Performance Framework (SPF), which has since become a key tool in

guiding decisions made within the district. The SPF is used to evaluate school performance (in

terms of achievement), organizational strength, and performance over time. It is also used to

provide information to the Colorado Department of Education and informs the district’s

compensation system.iii The SPF has been updated several times since its development in 2009

to accommodate measurement needs. Indicators used in the 2011 SPF include the following:

1. Multiple Measures of Student Growth Over Time

2. Student Achievement Status (% proficient or above)

3. Post-Secondary Readiness Growth

4. Post-Secondary Readiness Status (high schools; AP or on-time graduation, for example)

5. Student Engagement & Satisfaction (attendance and satisfaction survey data)

6. Re-Enrollment Rate

7. Parent Satisfaction

4

Each year in September, the SPF provides scorecards with four overall school ratings:

Distinguished, Meets Expectations, Accredited On Watch, and Accredited on Probation. Within

the indicators, scores are color coded as follows: Exceeds Standards (Blue), Meets Standards

(Green), Approaching Standard (Yellow), and Does Not Meet Standard (Red).The color-coding

has provided DPS with an easily recognizable representation of performance that seems to be

universally understood across the district.

Figure 2 illustrates how the SPF provides an easy-to-read visual of how schools measure over

time. In the third year, 2010, 6 out of 7 schools moved up the yellow band, with one moving up

to blue.

Insert Figure 2

As a part of their overall performance management system, all schools in DPS undergo a review

by instructional leaders using the SPF. The turnaround process in DPS begins when a school

receives a “red” rating, triggering an expedited diagnostic review. The director of DPS’s Office

of School Turnaround explained that a red rating does not automatically put a school in

turnaround, but it does signal that the school needs some targeted assistance informed by an

external data review, typically lead by Cambridge Education.ivAfter the review, if the school is

identified for turnaround (meaning any of the four Department of Education proposed models), a

stakeholder group is engaged to discuss turnaround strategies. Around October or November, the

feedback is considered, and the board of education selects one of the four federal Department of

Education (DOE) models to pursue.

After a school is identified for improvement, the Office of School Turnaround works with the

school to develop a turnaround plan. The school is expected to implement the plan with fidelity,

5

and the Office of School Turnaround monitors the plan’s implementation as well as progress

being made on increasing student achievement. The plans themselves are designed around three

key levers: 1) instructional structures, systems, and processes; 2) human capital development;

and 3) community involvement and engagement. These levers are discussed in detail later in the

chapter in the Curriculum and Instruction, Human Capital, and Culture and Climate sections.

In addition to the three above levers, the DPS board has identified additional drivers of the

district’s work. Those drivers include the belief that teaching and learning are the top priority;

adult accountability matters; choice, collaboration, and innovation are key to 21st-century

success; and parent, family, and community engagement are essential elements of quality

education.

Choice and community engagement are important facets of DPS’s turnaround approach.

Underlying the philosophy of choice is some amount of competition, as students have a range of

choices from which to select for their secondary schools. The superintendent, Tom Boasberg,

asserts that choice is very important for empowering families, increasing their commitment to

their school, and keeping a connection between parents and the school and between the kids and

the school and their school peers. To create the choice model, students have their choice of

middle and high schools to attend within a region close to their home. There is no default choice;

they must select their school. The Office of Choice and Enrollment Services (OCES) coordinates

“the activities associated with getting students and schools matched.”In early fall, students and

families can attend a Middle and High School Expo to visit with principals, teachers, and

students from traditional, charter, and magnet schools. Additionally, a lot of communication goes

out to communities marketing the various school options.

6

An additional strategy to increase engagement and school cohesiveness is to shrink the size of

some schools to “form a coherent strong culture and foster strong relationships.” Thus, some

down-sized or right-sized schools (because of enrollment attrition) share their building with a

high-performing charter school. This strategy has been particularly useful in attracting students

back to neighborhoods that have a diverse mix of poverty and wealth due to gentrification.

According to Boasberg, Denver has a strong relationship with charters, and the district welcomes

partnerships with high-quality charter schools. Boasberg describes DPS’s relationship with

charters as being very reciprocal and having “the same opportunities as the district-run

schools.”One could see how this could be a win/win situation, particularly for charter schools

that often face funding challenges that are different from the challenges other schools face,

particularly around facilities. Through this partnership, charters have the same access and level

of funding for facilities, food service, and transportation, for example. “They also have the same

equity in responsibility,” Boasberg mentioned. He explained that the charters are able to share

facilities, buses, and sports teams, as long as they commit to work with all students, including

gifted, struggling, and special needs students. Boasberg explained that the charters are public

schools that do not make much distinction between themselves and the district schools, and that

the relationship has helped the state close down many poor charter programs so that they may be

replaced by stronger ones.

In addition to traditional, charter, and magnet schools, schools in Colorado can also apply for

what is called “innovation status.”Made possible by the state under the Innovation Schools Act

of 2008, innovation status provides schools with autonomy and flexibility in academic and

operational decision-making, or as several administrators put it, “time, people, and money.” The

biggest advantage to this model is that schools and districts can gain waivers from state laws and

7

collective-bargaining agreements. This model works particularly well for turning around low-

performing schools because it allows them to extend the day or the year and have greater

flexibility with human capital and instructional strategies. Currently DPS has 19 innovative

schools, which will be discussed further below.

Implementing the Strategy

While Denver had identified their lowest-performing schools around 2009, they did not receive

SIG funds until June 2010. The $14 million awarded to DPS was provided to address

performance in 11 eligible schools. Of that 11, three were slated for closure and two were

already undergoing turnaround. That left a total of six, depending on how you count them: three

secondary schools for transformation, one for turnaround, and one to be split into two schools—

one for restart and the other for turnaround. In addition to these schools, others were targeted for

reforms, and several new schools were planned and funded from additional outside resources.

The six SIG-funded schools were provided with additional funding and extra supports, including

extended learning time, support from the Center for Data Driven Reform in Education, Deans of

Instruction to assist with professional development, weekly meetings for professional learning

communities (PLCs), principal coaching, communication specialists to market and communicate

new school efforts, and participation in district’s new teacher evaluation pilot.

One of the unique features of the DPS turnaround work is their piloting of two regional

turnaround strategies during the 2011–2012 school year. The presence of a regional view of

school performance becomes very evident when you ask anyone in DPS about school

turnaround. In our interviews, the director of turnaround often swiveled her computer around to

show me the regional map with SPF color-coding. A giant version of the same map is found in

8

the main hallway of the DPS administrative building. Additionally, I found a video online of

Boasberg making a presentation to parents within a region, drawing a big square in the air with

his arms to demonstrate the regions.

It is likely that this regional view is prompted by the clustering of “red schools” (the lowest

performance band) in two distinct regions: West Denver and the Far Northeast. As a result, both

regions have been targeted for an aligned regional turnaround strategy, where they have been

formed into networks that act somewhat like “mini-districts.” The West Denver Network

Schools (WDNS) include five federally funded schools, with three additional schools in the

Lincoln Collaborative and two that are undergoing transformation. The Far Northeast (FNE)

represents a larger regional strategy led by the Denver Summit School Network (DSSN). The

goal for this region is to increase academic performance and provide more high-quality options

to the region, which is characterized by high poverty and geographical isolation. According to

the district website and interviewees, the DSSN was created by the district and leaders in the

region who felt that change was needed. To achieve their vision, all schools in the DSSN have

innovation status so that they can provide a longer school day and school year and daily small-

group tutoring for students and have more autonomy over personnel strategies.

Another important feature of the regional strategies involved dedicating communications

resources to building relationships; communications specialists were to actively inform parents

about their choices and help “rebrand” schools to move away from their previous poor

reputations. Several principals in FNE schools mentioned how helpful it was to have

communications assistance for developing new logos, websites and marketing their schools to

increase enrollment and attract more students from the neighborhood. As an aside, the SIG

finance office mentioned that the communications specialists seemed to have a very high return

9

on investment (ROI) within the SIG grant. In his words, “Communications is one of the smallest

items in our SIG grant, but the ROI is huge. We can invest 15K in communications, get 20 more

kids, and gain like$100K for the district; it’s terrific.”

The DSSN is headed by Allen Smith, who came to the position in the 2010–2011 school year as

a leader who has been in the spotlight off and on for his success in turning around schools.

Having previously done very difficult turnaround work virtually by himself, Smith insisted that

the regional turnaround work be organized with a team effort and external partners because, as

he said, “Turnaround is not for the faint of heart. It takes time. You know it will be hard, but it

takes hard too a new level. The relationships, the pushback, it’s very,very difficult.”

When the opportunity came up for Smith to lead the FNE work, he decided, “If I’m going to do

this, I have to be really smart and intentional about the systems I create. To do that, you have to

have dedicated support and partners.”Part of being organized as a network for the regional

strategy meant functioning like a “mini-central office.” Smith spends his time monitoring

schools daily, and he has his own departments like human resources and payroll. Additionally,

he brought in partners like Blueprint to help with the work and told principals and teachers that

they were to be empowered and function like “co-directors.” Having these positions made sense

logistically, because the FNE is relatively far away from the DPS central office. However, Smith

felt it was also important to have dedicated people right in the region to focus solely on their

turnaround work. West Denver is now set up with the same positions and support.

Human Capital

As mentioned earlier, DPS sees people as the most important resource for driving student

outcomes. Strategies outlined in the Denver Plan around talent management include:

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1. Recruiting the best teachers and principals

2. Empowering and retaining effective educators

3. Creating meaningful recognition systems, advancement opportunities, and rewards for

driving student achievement

4. Recruiting, retaining, and rewarding outstanding staff to support teachers’ and principals’

work

5. Replacing low-performing employees who fail to meet expectations

Some of DPS’s most interesting work falls under the third and fourth bullets above. DPS has

long been recognized for their innovative compensation system, ProComp, which links a portion

of teacher pay to student performance. The district website lists the program as a nine-year

bargained agreement between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) and the

district. The more innovative features of the system include linking compensation to student

outcomes, using student growth, and offering teachers uncapped annual earnings.

One way to achieve the above strategies is through the district’s approach to elevating the

teaching profession through their new program, Empowering Excellent Educators. The program

is set up to reward and retain teachers by providing recognition and rewards for good work, and

by providing leadership opportunities and training supports for teachers. For recruiting, the

program uses multiple pathways to teaching, which include a Denver Teacher Residency and

using early hiring cycles to get an early jump on competing for teachers. For evaluation, the

program aims to use multiple measures, and the district is piloting a new evaluation system in the

2011–2012 school year called Leading Effective Academic Practice (LEAP). LEAP is a tool that

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provides teachers with feedback on their instruction through multiple measures, which include

student outcomes; principal observation data; peer observation data; collaborative professional

and student perceptual data.

The observation tool is still under development but will include what DPS calls Onstage

Domains (learning environment and instruction) and Offstage Domains (planning and

preparation and professionalism). The tool helps teachers move from a binary “satisfactory” or

“unsatisfactory” rating to four levels of effectiveness and seven rating categories: Not Meeting

(1-2);Approaching (3-4); Effective (5-6); and Distinguished (7). LEAP is designed to help

principals and teachers better understand performance strengths and weakness; it also connects

with an online professional development system. The system is set up to align with the

instrument and provide multiple training resources. If a teacher needs to work on standards-based

instruction, for example, there are over 140 books and various resources to choose from. For the

2011–2012 year, 94% of DPS’s schools voted to participate in the LEAP pilot.

DPS was one of eight districts to receive funding to implement a deep-dive teacher effectiveness

strategy also being implemented by Charlotte-Mecklenburg: the Measuring Effective Teachers

project. MET did not come up in any of the interviews, which may simply be related to it not

being a direct question; however, it remains unclear how MET is folded into DPS’s existing

professional development and evaluation approaches.

Curriculum and Instruction

Focusing on the instructional core is also a major component of the 2010 Denver Plan.

According to the district website, improving the instructional core means that “teaching, schools,

and systems are well-organized to provide consistent, high-quality instruction that engages and

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challenges all students in acquiring skills, strategies and knowledge for the 21st century.”vThe

activities under this goal include the following:

1. Creating conditions to support principal and teacher effectiveness

2. Ensuring all students, including English language learners, gifted students, and students

with disabilities, have access to rigorous standards-based curricula and assessments

3. Providing coordinated and comprehensive support systems for students

4. Using data and best practices to evaluate and improve instructional programs

The 2010 Denver Plan outlines numerous activities implemented during the 2010–2011 year to

improve instruction. Many of the above strategies are similar to those described by the five

Broad Prize Winners highlighted in Reform to Scale and are activities that have shown evidence

of improving instruction in many districts. The practices I see as being particularly good include

backwards-mapping the curriculum from college to career readiness down the grade-level

pipeline, setting performance targets at critical junctions, developing planning and pacing guides

based on state standards, developing classroom “look fors” and best practice documents to be

shared, developing benchmark assessments on core subjects, implementing a district-wide

response to instruction model, and creating principal professional development in literacy and

mathematics instructional leadership.vi

Performance Management

The School Performance Framework is a major component of DPS’s performance management

system. The district is extremely data driven, as evidenced by the visible use of data by district

and school leaders and teachers. Board presentations from the past two years contain pages of

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detailed data on everything, including student counts, achievement, demographic maps, seat

counts, and gap analyses, for example.

Performance management appears often in the 2010 Denver Plan, which explicitly outlines plans

to implement a continuous improvement process informed by data and best practices. The plan

describes what continuous improvement looks like at all levels. At the school level, DPS

implements “instructional rounds,” where teams observe classrooms, analyze emerging patterns,

predict what learning to expect from the observation, and recommend the next level of work to

improve. Schools also have separate teacher and administrator portals designed as “one-stop

shops” to access all student data, standards-aligned curriculum, and resources for core content.

At the district level, DPS is working to align evaluation and is continuously reviewing the

effectiveness of programs, curriculum, professional development, and school design structures.

For the turnaround schools, performance management is seen as a key lever for quickly

identifying problems and coming up with appropriate interventions. This means using the SPF as

well as using qualitative diagnostic processes to identify root causes of issues.

Climate and Culture

Culture and outreach are referenced repeatedly throughout the 2010 Denver Plan and were

frequently mentioned in interviews. DPS works hard for district and school personnel to foster

and support a culture of mutual respect and high expectations. The fact that many struggling

schools are beginning to move up the SPF color performance bands and have a different “look

and feel” is testimony to the district’s ability to make progress toward that goal.

The 2010 Denver Plan cites parent, family, and community engagement as being essential to

quality educational systems. This area of DPS’s work has been seen as crucial for connecting

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communities to schools and to the district. Similar to many big cities, Denver has experienced

some middle-class flight out of some of its schools and even out of the district. To strengthen

family engagement across the district, DPS established an Office of Parent Engagement and an

Office of Community Engagement as a committed outreach resource.vii Additionally, DPS has

worked closely with community organizations like the DPS Foundation and the Denver

Scholarship Foundation. Another important part of the engagement work has been to keep the

community informed about DPS strategies and initiatives. To this end, the district has initiated an

annual “State of the Schools” address to commence each September, hosted middle and high

school expos, launched social networking sites, and created mechanisms for the community to

send email to the superintendent.

Community outreach has been a major factor in the planning phases for DPS’s turnaround effort.

For example, when the FNE regional strategy was first discussed, the district held numerous

community meetings to share data, propose strategies, and explain why some schools would be

transformed, some closed, and some turned around. Additionally, the district invested

considerable energy on communication strategies to build additional information tools like

websites and marketing materials to help the schools build a new reputation through branding.

There was considerable community pushback around some of the turnaround work, as is typical

when schools are being changed or closed. One administrator in a conversation about turnaround

(in a separate site visit from DPS) said, “You can work hard to engage parents in a chronically

failing school, and they don’t show up. Then you begin talking about closing the school, and

they show up in droves.”Some leaders believe closure creates community opposition because

schools represent the fabric of a neighborhood, good or bad. The leader of the FNE region

explained that even if the image of one school, Montbello, was not positive, the community

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around it was tightly knit and identified with the school. An internet search on the rollout of the

FNE plan yielded several videos (as with most media, likely containing cherry-picked scenes)

depicting FNE community members voicing outcry about Montbello being changed from a

transformation school to one being phased out and replaced by two different schools that would

co-share the building: a 9-12 collegiate prep academy and a 6-12 Center for International

Studies.

While several videos showed numerous protesters, videos also showed people asking the

community to consider that they were receiving better options for their children. When asked

about the opposition to the plan, one administrator stated, “The pushback is from defenders of

the status quo who are unwilling to change even when terribly failing kids.” This comment was

associated with concern that teachers would lose their jobs once Montbello was phased out. The

administrator continued, “It’s a question of trying to protect adults’ interests rather than putting

kids’ interests first.” Montbello will be detailed further below in the school section, but it’s

important to say that, after just two short months, Montbello again looks like a great place for

students and for learning.

Additionally, in October 2011, DPS reported its third consecutive year of enrollment increase; in

October 2010, the increase was 3,000 students, and in 2011 there was an additional 2,200.

Partnerships

When I first selected Denver, it was to be an example of a district-driven turnaround strategy

being executed without external partners. However, starting around 2010, the district began to

engage with external partners for their ambitious turnaround work. Two administrators

separately stated that during their first year implementing the turnaround work in 2009, they

16

spent most of their time planning and putting basic structures in place, so they did not engage

with any partners. Once the work was better defined, the district began to engage more partners

for various purposes, with one of the main turnaround partners being Blueprint Schools Network

(Blueprint). Headed by well-known researchers like Dr. Roland Fryer, Jr. (who evaluated Harlem

Children’s Zone), Blueprint focuses on five strategies: 1) excellence in leadership and

instruction; 2) increased instructional time; 3) no excuses school culture of high expectations; 4)

frequent assessments to improve instruction; and 5) daily tutoring in critical growth areas.

All of the elements align very well with the 2010 Denver Plan and were frequently mentioned by

turnaround school leaders. Allen Smith, who had worked with Blueprint’s executive director

previously, said that the partnership with Blueprint has been extremely important for obtaining

objective data, having someone to bounce ideas off of, and having extra support to execute the

difficult work.viii Other partnerships that DPS has engaged in are in areas of critical need, such

as Cambridge Education for data diagnostics, the National Center on Time & Learning to help

with creative time management, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walden

Foundation. Additional partnerships mentioned earlier but still relevant are various charter

organizations, community groups, and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA).

Challenges and Changes

Interviews in DPS focused on the details of their turnaround work and did not tend to reference

political or other challenges, other than the fact that turnaround is hard and takes high levels of

focus, intentionality, and time. However, researching DPS documents and news clips yielded

some challenges and obstacles that appear to be continually present.

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One potential challenge is that the board appears to have a consistent four/three divide, with four

members supporting the DPS administration’s turnaround work and three opposing it. While at

some point it could cause issues for the district’s reform plans, currently the majority is voting to

support those plans. A bigger challenge is with the Denver Classroom Teacher’s Association,

which is currently suing DPS over the innovation schools. The suit, filed in June 2011,

challenges the legality of the board’s approval of the innovation applications that occurred earlier

in 2011. Their argument is that the required 60% vote of a school’s faculty did not occur

properly, rendering eight of the 10 innovation schools in FNE “unlawful.”ix

There are also places where the DCTA is mentioned in the 2010 Denver Plan, which may

indicate areas of conflict. Most notably is a reference found on page 32, under “great people”

that discusses the strategy of building “systems of mutual consent hiring, particularly in our

highest-needs schools.” The strategy under that section cites concern about high-need schools

having to accept forced teacher placements, to the tune of around 100 teachers. The plan

mentions the importance of principals being able to hire appropriate staff for their schools and

advocates the importance of working collaboratively with DCTA and state policymakers on the

issue.

View from Schools

I had the opportunity to hear about and see several of the turnaround schools that really

demonstrate what the work is all about. The first one was Montbello High School, the school

referred to earlier that sits in the FNE, a high-poverty, high-minority area. Allen Smith, who

leads the FNE turnaround work, mentioned that Montbello was originally modeled after a prison,

basically because prison was the perceived next stop for its students. He said the teachers who

18

worked in Montbello were the ones “on their last leg,” and that the community felt like they were

“the forgotten ones,” or were different, like rebels. So, Smith explained, for 30 years the school

had an image of being rough and tough and having the best fighters. It also went through

27principals in 30 years. Smith mentioned that there were a lot of fights, two fatal stabbings, and

despite the area’s struggles, there was little political will to change it.

In 2004, Antwan Wilson, now a highly regarded central office leader, became the principal of

Montbello and fought hard to change expectations and improve performance in the school. The

work was particularly difficult, said Smith, as the community had so much entrenched negativity

that it was difficult for an “outsider” like Wilson (who was from a different state) to fight. The

campus improved under Wilson, however, and after three years he was asked to work in central

office. The school apparently did not stabilize after that time, and Montbello was selected in

2009 for transformation, then selected in 2011 to be phased out and replaced with two other

schools.

In my interview with Smith, he said that I had to see Montbello, because this year it is “a

completely different place.” He mentioned that the new principal for the 2011–2012 school year,

Larry Irvin, had done a great job with the school thus far. Irvin came from the inner city of

Chicago, where he had a reputation as a steady leader able to turnaround schools. Smith said that

Irvin focused on respecting the teachers and students and did a good job making early wins by

“plucking all the low-hanging fruit.” In a recent tour of the school, Smith and district leaders

were impressed with how well the building looked with “nice shiny floors” and students in

classrooms—a school that “you could hardly tell was targeted for turnaround.”

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True to Smith’s word, the building looked great, and the students were walking out of the

building (it was near the end of the day) in a calm, organized manner not typical of high-energy

high school students. A ten-year veteran teacher who manages some of the intensive tutoring

grabbed the turnaround director who was with me. Dressed in his suit and tie, carrying a

clipboard, he literally beamed, “Rebecca, you’ve got to see this. Look! This student just

increased his reading score by 720 points!”Upon my asking what that meant, the teacher

responded that it translated to moving from a second grade reading level to almost on grade-

level.

Our next stop was to speak to the leaders of one of the new schools being phased in, Collegiate

Prep Academy, which currently is just serving grade 9. Speaking to the principal provided an

opportunity to hear about the policy freedom the school has as one of the established innovation

schools. One of the most important freedoms, stated the principal, was the ability to hire, and, if

necessary, fire staff. When teachers agree to join an innovation school, they agree to whatever

hours and policies are implemented by the school, and it is their decision if they want to continue

union membership. The teachers know they do not have a contract, and that they need to follow

the policies set forth by the school.

Collegiate Prep is an early college high school; there is a heavy focus on raising instructional

rigor, preparing students for college, and offering up to 60 hours of dual-credit courses for

students to earn college hours free of charge. When describing the program, the principal and

vice principal stated, “Students get a lot of support. No one is invisible, and there are plenty of

different adults here for them to gravitate towards for help.”

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As we were talking, the tutoring teacher came in, still carrying around his data clipboard,

showing everyone the latest results, particularly about the student he had mentioned earlier. I

asked him what the student’s reaction was upon seeing his score move up so dramatically. The

teacher stated, “He cried.” He explained that the student’s father had been very ill, and that youth

had promised his father he would try to do better in school, so seeing the improvement meant a

lot to him. Soon two female students came in and commenced to “hang out” with the principal,

assistant principal, tutor, and myself. There was a fair amount of giggling and talking about how

hard the school is and questions about having a day where they do not have to wear their

uniform. As I left, I heard one girl ask how she could get on the student council. The tutor

followed me out and took me aside and said, “I want you to know, she was our second most at-

risk student on our list. She used to miss school all the time and get into fights and in trouble

almost daily.”Now she is hanging out with school leaders and asking about student council.

My next stop was to interview the principal of Montbello, Larry Irvin. Irvin is a white, soft-

spoken, intellectual-looking guy who reminded me of Drew Carey in his current svelte state.

Irvin brought with him 11 years of experience as a teacher, an assistant principal, and then a

principal at a large urban high school in Chicago. He came to Denver because he liked their

feeder pattern turnaround approach and was excited about their new teacher evaluation system.

He also felt he had something to offer with his experience and believed he could learn a lot

himself.

When Irvin first walked up to the building at Montbello, he found mounds of trash piled up

outside, and trash and food all over the hallways and in the cafeteria. He thought it was partly

due to lunch being held outside, and that perhaps the students had been intentionally acting out in

reaction to the recent news of their school being phased out.

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Irvin’s first order of business was to build student and teacher morale, because it was low due to

the three-year phase out. Irvin said the seniors were sad and needed “a lot of TLC,” so he had a

number of special activities planned for them. Following the same careful, intentional structure

described in a previous interview by Smith, Irvin got things organized, using “quick wins” first,

like organizing the lunchroom and setting hallway and classroom routines. He also spent a lot of

time working on building a positive culture with high expectations for staff and students,

something that Smith had also cited as being a crucial first step. While Irvin was able to bring in

some strong leaders and teachers to deliver a better instructional program, he also had the

challenge of balancing the need to find the best talent with building up staff members with

multiple credentials so that he could cover all subjects throughout the phase out. When asked if

the phase out impacted his overall ability to attract and retain teachers, he acknowledged that it

was a challenge to ask people to invest time in a school and a position that would disappear

within three years, but that he was able to make headway by offering high-quality professional

development. He mentioned that by providing teachers with a strong background in data use,

standards-based instruction, positive behavioral approaches, and strong instructional and

organizational strategies made them very marketable for future positions.

As with other principals, I asked Irvin how he got students who had been known as “difficult” to

listen to him and do small things like throw away their own trash to bigger things like pay

attention in class. His response was that for the most part, the kids were really interested in

pleasing the adults in the building and that the few “hardcore” students simply needed to have

things repeated a few times, but in general they responded well, if not with surprise, to an adult

being non-confrontational and calm. Irvin and his staff work at applying what they call positive

behavior strategies, and he describes his style as “applying relentless gentle pressure.” Although

22

Irvin has only been leading Montbello for three months in its three-year walk to closure, he feels

that the staff and students are making good progress.

I also had the opportunity to visit two schools in the West Denver turnaround network. Greenlee

Elementary is a school that was “right-sized” because of declining enrollment and was changed

from a K-8 to a K-5 program. A strong principal and assistant principal were brought in, who in

turn selected teachers to turnaround Greenlee. Additionally, the school hired behavioral and

literacy coordinators, a coach for the principal, a community liaison, and a part-time social

worker. Basically, Greenlee applied all the great interventions that are outlined in the 2010

Denver Plan. What brings that work to life is seeing the students quietly walking the halls and

sitting in their classrooms attentively listening to the teachers. When I asked one third-grade

teacher why she left her school to go to the second-worst-performing elementary in DPS, she

said she wanted to work with a principal and staff that she knew was good and committed to the

students. She was very enthusiastic about her job, and she mentioned how much she enjoyed

working more closely with students and families by conducting home visits and going to family

celebrations like her students’ birthday parties.

Already after their first year last year, the teachers and staff members are seeing a difference in

the students. One teacher mentioned that the work is easier this year, because her students are

coming to her much better prepared for their grade level than the previous year. The staff

interviewed also said that this second year seemed easier because all the groundwork of setting

routines and fine-tuning logistics is now done, and they can focus more on instruction and on

refining their systems.

23

I also had the opportunity to visit a shared campus, which was previously Lake Middle School,

and now has been turned around to become Lake International, which shares the building with a

restart, West Denver Prep (a charter school modeled similarly to KIPP). This shared campus

arrangement was a bit difficult to navigate with the SIG funds, as the perception from the DOE

was that it was Lake Middle School that received the grant, so the funds should only go to that

school. As the grant manager explained, DPS wanted to open a charter and turnaround a school.

He felt it was within the boundaries of the grant, and they wanted to apply two strategies. One

was to use a high-performing charter management organization that was out-performing many

schools in DPS, and the other was to right-size the middle school, leaving plenty of room in the

building. When asked why they put the two together, the SIG grant manger explained that

another West Denver Prep school charter was capturing many neighborhood kids in DPS,

signaling a demand for another similar school. To meet that demand, DPS wanted to open a

similar school in the Lake neighborhood, while making good use of a partly unoccupied facility

due to Lake’s shrinkage.

According to the principal at Lake International, Lake Middle School was originally an

International Baccalaureate (IB) program that was not correctly implementing the IB program

and was doing poorly in student achievement. Subsequently, the school earned a bad reputation,

and many students in that gentrified diverse neighborhood stopped choosing to attend the school.

The Lake International teachers I interviewed had a great before-and-after view of the program,

as they had both previously taught in Lake Middle School. When asked what the original middle

school was like to teach in, one teacher described her classroom that was “isolated on the third

floor, “where she felt she could keep a safe and predictable environment for her students by

closing the door to the chaos always occurring outside her classroom. The other teacher

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mentioned that teachers at that school often kept to themselves. In her words, “If you heard an

incident going on in the classroom next door, maybe a fight, you ignored it. You minded your

own business. It was everybody for themselves.”

When I asked the teachers what Lake International is like now, the third-floor teacher mentioned

that she now has her classroom door open and wants to share what she is doing with other

teachers and observers. She said:

I know I’m valued, and my ideas are valued. I can help here, and I am mentoring other

teachers who also desire to learn. I wish I had had that type of partner for myself earlier.

Now I wake up in the morning feeling confident and stronger with a personal desire to

see the school grow.

Now teachers in the school are implementing the IB program as intended and are using data

on a daily basis to drive instructional decisions. They regularly share instructional strategies

and observe each other teaching. For students, the school has begun holding a regular

student advisory to help monitor their progress and they connect with their teachers. Overall,

students are provided with more clarity about what is expected of them and the energy in the

building, according to teachers and agreed upon by me, is positive.

Conclusion

There is a lot of positive work going on in Denver that is innovative as well as effective. The

district’s turnaround work is driven by a very thoughtful and well laid out strategic plan that

drives the work across the district. DPS is not only implementing their turnaround systemically

with district support, but is also attempting two large, ambitious, regional turnaround approaches.

While the district has some challenges that could potentially hinder some of their work, they also

25

have much in their favor to support it. Those things include talented leaders and teachers, a great

comprehensive plan and approach, strong relationships with charters, tolerance for innovation

and thinking out of the box, and schools that are already showing positive gains after just a few

years of this iteration of work.

i District website. Demographics from 2010 October Count. 2011 October count shows 80,000 students; a relatively marked increase for the district. See http://communications.dpsk12.org/newsroom/facts.

ii ProComp focuses on teachers’ knowledge and skills, provides a comprehensive professional evaluation, uses market incentives for hard-to-staff areas, and uses student growth. See http://denverprocomp.dpsk12.org/about/ for more information.

iii From district website. See http://communications.dpsk12.org/initiatives/school-performance-framework/.

iv According to their website, they conduct quality reviews for school improvement processes. DPS spoke highly of them. For more information see http://www.camb-ed-us.com/QualityReviews.aspx.

v See 2010 Denver Plan, p. 7 at http://2010 denverplan.dpsk12.org/pdf/Final2010Denver%Plan.pdf.

vi Response to Instruction (RtI) refers to an instructional framework that promotes a well-integrated system connecting general, gifted, supplemental, and special education services in providing high-quality, standards-based instruction and intervention that is matched to students’ academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs. RtI

combines core instruction, assessment, and intervention within a multi-tiered system to increase student achievement and reduce behavior problems. For more information see http://www.alsde.edu/general/RESPONSE_TO_INSTRUCTION.pdf.

vii See 2010 Denver plan, p. 43.

viii Prior Blueprint did some work with Houston Independent School District. For more information see http://www.blueprintschools.org.

ix See Union Suit: DPS abuses innovation, Education News Colorado at http://www.ednewscolarado.org/2011/06/27/20786.

Education

Denver turnaround schools show "unreal" improvement in students' math scores

Posted: 02/17/2012 01:00:00 AM MST Updated: 02/17/2012 09:55:44 AM MST

By Yesenia Robles The Denver Post

From left, Luis Salgado, 16, his tutor Benjamin LeBeau, Daisy Alfaro, 15, her tutor Arthur Kennel and Juan Atayde, 15, work on improving math skills Thursday at Collegiate Prep Academy. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Denver's largest school turnaround effort is already producing student achievement that has surprised even early supporters of education reform in the city's far northeast.

"The math tutoring has been unreal. It's big," said Allen Smith, executive director of the 11 new and turnaround schools in far northeast, now called the Denver Summit Schools Network, or DSSN.

Community concerns made Smith have his doubts about the turnaround plan, but data presented to the Denver Public Schools board Thursday night show that from August through February, 30 percent of students had improved by as much as a grade level in math.

When the DSSN schools opened under new orders this fall, the seven that enroll fourth-, sixth- or ninth-graders started the year with a math-tutoring program.

In addition to hour-long math classes daily, students were assigned in groups of two or three to a tutor — or a math fellow, as the program calls them — for another hour during each school day.

Tutors collaborate weekly with math teachers. Each student takes a 5-minute online assessment daily that gives tutors and teachers data about what the student has retained.

"There was a lot of resistance at first," Smith said. "Kids had never been asked to participate in their own education like that. Now that those relationships are developed, they want to go to tutoring. They feel their voice is being heard, so it's also transferring to other classes."

On the most recent round of tests given every six weeks at the seven schools using the tutoring program, 370 students scored unsatisfactory, down from 594 at the beginning of the year, and 241 students tested proficient, up from 66.

The percentage of students scoring advanced in math increased to 10 percent of all students.

Data from interim assessments taken in the mainstream math classes show similar progress.

Besides tests, some students are asked to write about what they learn. It's writing practice but also gives tutors an idea about how students process what they learn.

Collegiate Prep Academy ninth-graders, from left, Cesar Casillas, 16, Javon Youngblood, 15, and Malik Hart work Thursday with math tutor Zachary Sexton. The tutors work with their students in small groups every day. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

"We are really about a meta-cognitive approach," said Stuart Ritchie, the math fellow coordinator at Collegiate Prep Academy. "We want to get away from the idea that there is one answer and one way to get there. Not every student is going to learn that procedural way. It's about understanding the concepts."

Collegiate Prep Academy student Abigail Venegas, 15, said math was a subject she never thought she would like, but she is surprised at how much the tutoring has changed that.

"I really have a good grade in my class this year," Venegas said. "Last year I gave up. Math was hard, and it was embarrassing having to ask questions."

Building math confidence is a large part of what math fellows are there to do, officials and tutors said. In every tutoring cubicle, individual student scores are graphed out and displayed on the wall labeled with student identification numbers.

"We're not ashamed of it," Ritchie said. "It helps students really see where they're going."

Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372 or [email protected]

The White House Features Denver Public School District, Dr. Tom Boasberg and Dr. Allen Smith at White House Summit on Financial Capability and Empowerment�

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Denver Public Schools and Operation HOPE: Denver Public Schools is launching a new effort to increase student financial literacy in Far Northeast Denver to connect more than 1,500 low and moderate-income middle and high school students with business executives from across the city. Students will learn the ins and outs of running a small business through these mentorships, and then will get their chance to start their own operation. Student businesses will then be tracked by Gallup using the Gallup-HOPE Index throughout the year to determine how successful their individual projects are. The goal is to teach students how to create financial goals, set budgets and then work within their means as they try to accomplish their goals in a project-based environment. Read the complete White House Announcement here. �

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�The broad-based, deep-seated leadership and public service commitment to our children of the Denver Public Schools was on national display this week in Washington, D.C. at the first ever White House Summit on Financial Capability. �

This week the White House, the President and the Obama Administration chose to feature the national leadership of both Dr. Allen Smith (above), executive director of the Denver Turnaround Schools, as well as Dr. Tom Boasberg (below), superintendent of all of Denver Public Schools, tied to their commitment to building upon current commitment to expanding youth opportunity and aspiration through education, with HOPE Business In A Box in Denver.�

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Because of the leadership of these two men in Denver, Colorado, the Denver Public Schools was held up as a national model and example of public sector leadership, and vision-made-real for children, at its best. �

�Read the complete White House announcement this week here, but you will soon be able to physically witness the change we talk about, on the ground and in classrooms throughout Denver Public Schools and many other school districts like it across America in the weeks, months and years to come.�

Hats off and commendations to Dr. Tom Boasberg and Dr. Allen Smith for their leadership, and his bold vision for our children. Rainbows only follow storms, and as I say in my bestselling business book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World, "loss creates leaders." �

The best is yet to come for our children, and we will each of us, be the change we want to see in our world.�

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass) the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama. Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.

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February 14, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: I would like to recommend Mr. Allen Smith for a senior leadership position in your district. I have known Allen for six years and during that time I have been impressed with his leadership abilities, first as a principal at Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Early College and presently as Executive Director of the Denver Summit Schools Network. Allen is a visionary educator dedicated to the success of all students both academically and socially. He has a burning commitment to seeing students succeed that is not common amongst all educators, but is required of all urban educators. His commitment to self reflection and continuous growth serve as an appropriate compliment to his tireless efforts to stay on the cutting edge of education reform issues. As a leader in Denver, Allen first experienced noted success as the principal of MLK Jr. Early College. During his time there he led the growth of the school from a middle school serving grades 6-8, into a middle/high school serving grades 6-12. Under his leadership the high school achieved some of the highest graduation rates in the state with over 90% of graduating seniors being accepted into college. Additionally his school was known for producing graduates with several college classes already under their belts. The high school was also amongst the best schools in the state at increasing student academic growth as measured by the Colorado State Assessments. Allen’s skill at recruiting a diverse group of talented people from throughout the country, and supporting their development by providing differentiated supports, is a major reason for his success as a principal in one of our most needy schools. Allen’s success at MLK Jr. at facilitating a successful turnaround of the school made him an appropriate choice to lead our largest turnaround effort in Denver Public Schools; which included turning around a collection of elementary, middle, and high schools in Far Northeast Denver. His leadership of these schools has been validated by the strong achievement his schools showed after their first year of turnaround. Under Allen’s leadership the schools demonstrated the greatest academic growth of any region in Denver, with several schools earning “Meeting Expectations” or “Distinguished” ratings after the first year of the turnaround. Again, Allen’s skills at hiring and supporting staff, implementing proven reform strategies, as well as his strong determination to provide each child in the region with a quality education have proven assets to our district turnaround efforts. Allen has proven as both a principal and as an Executive Director that he has strong communication skills and is someone who will not compromise on having high expectations for student performance. He has emphasized parent and community involvement to a point where his parents are actively pursuing information about school reform and how to support the improvement of their schools, in ways that are positively influencing other networks throughout the district. Additionally he has supported his schools with establishing partnerships with area

businesses and community based organizations. This has led to mentorship and internship opportunities for students, in addition to increased student engagement as a part of the extended school day and year. Serving as the leader of the Denver Summit Schools Network requires someone who is confident, reflective, and persistent. Confidence is necessary because the job requires the ability to motivate others to help students perform when they may not have believed them capable of performing at the highest levels. All of Allen’s schools have over 85% Free and Reduced Lunch student populations and he must inspire these leaders to believe that they can make a tremendous difference for all students. Reflection is important because as we implement the turnaround work, it is important that the Executive Director is able to model how a leader actively seeks feedback and uses what is learned to make course corrections for the betterment of those he is leading. Persistence is necessary because even our most dedicated principals and teachers must be supported consistently in order to maintain their tenacity. Allen creates an environment where educators know that they will be pushed and supported and he does not let them divert their attention from their goal to ensure that all their students are successful. At the same time he shows his vulnerabilities and is open with leaders about ways in which he is pushing himself to improve. All of this makes him a leader that others love to follow. I am confident in Allen Smith’s talents as a leader and I truly believe he would provide strong strategic, emotional, and thoughtful leadership for any school district where leadership is needed to support all students. He is dedicated to the success of young people and serves as a role model to students and adults alike. He is respected throughout the community for his work as an educator, volunteer, and minister. At the same time Allen is down to earth, has a tremendous sense of humor, and loves to have fun. He is a talented leader and he is truly a caring person. It is for all these reasons that Allen Smith has my full recommendation and support. Please feel free to contact me at or e-mail me at if you have any questions about my recommendation of Allen Smith. Sincerely,

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Notes

Documents

H. ALLEN SMITH II