When families are considering purchasing a new home, one of the first factors they consider is the quality of schools in the area. What are the average test scores? What's the teacher-student ratio? Will our child get the best education possible?
If you've been following the local news then you know that it's a tumultuous time for Denver area schools. Both parents and community officials are wrestling with decisions surrounding mass school closings, primarily as a cost-cutting effort. Denver Public Schools are struggling with declining revenue. Having lost more than 8000 students in the last six years (each student is worth approximately $6500 in funding), the system's bottom line has been dealt a devastating blow. Additionally, poor performance on state tests, graduation rates, and proficiency in major subjects are also cited as being major concerns.
But despite massive news coverage on these negative issues affecting Denver schools, students in the system have achieved quite a bit of success during the 2006-2007 school year. For example, Denver Public School students were among the several Colorado middle and high school students honored by the John Lynch Foundation for their athletic participation, community service, and academic excellence. Abraham Lincoln High School's basketball team was named the 2007 4A State Basketball Champions. Denver East High School won the national championship of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, a competition on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students at North High School won citywide competitions for excellence in visual arts and creative writing. And three young ladies from the Computer Magnet at Thomas Jefferson and North High Schools received the Aspirations in Computing Award from the National Center for Women & Information Technology.
And these are just a handful of the achievements made by Denver students over the course of the 2006-2007 school year. Regardless of controversy, Denver schools are still producing some of the most competitive students in the U.S. Denver students are excelling in academics, athletics and performing arts. And much of the credit goes to Denver's wonderful teachers who are cheering their students on and helping them to reach impressive goals.
If you're considering moving to a Denver neighborhood, you'll be happy to know that Denver teachers go to great lengths to expose their students to new concepts and encourage them to strive for excellence. Take Carrie Olson for instance. This literacy and history teacher at Denver's Kepner Middle School launched an exciting and innovative program at her school which facilitates trips for sixth graders and eighth graders to travel to Washington D.C. and Europe, taking the learning experience far beyond the classroom.
If you're considering buying a home in the Denver area, despite current news coverage, you'll find that Denver is home to great schools, outstanding students, and hard-working teachers. To learn more about the system, visit the Denver Public Schools online for a list of all of the schools in the area and links to their websites.
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