With Hispanic dropout rates high, Denver schools have continually been hard pressed to find ways to understand the causes of this problem in order to be able to curb it. No age is more difficult to service than middle and early high school students who sometimes feel trapped and insignificant as they move between elementary to high school. Many educators argue that creating a solid transitional structure for these students during their middle school years is key to their continuing on through high school and beyond.
This week we profile two Denver area charter middle schools that service a large number of Hispanic Students. Each school has a distinct approach, yet both provide students with structured educational alternatives to the traditional format of mainstream Denver Public School education.
The Denver West Preparatory Charter School
Denver West Preparatory Charter School stands out as one of DPS’s shining examples of success in middle school education. This year 66 percent of Denver West’s students scored proficient or advanced in math, exceeding the district average by 26 percent. In writing and reading Denver West students exceeded district averages by 13 and 5 percent respectively.
Denver West, now embarking on its second year servicing a predominantly Hispanic student population, more than two thirds of which qualify for free and reduced lunch, has wowed many skeptics. Head of School, Chris Gibbons, says the school’s success comes, in part, from an emphasis on teaching it’s students to start thinking about college.
“We talk about college every day,” said Gibbons. “Everything the kids experience with us is focused on preparing them to get into college. Even our classrooms are named after universities.”
According to Gibbons, the school also intends to hire a High School Placement Director in 2008 in order to continue servicing Denver West students as they transition through high school and to attempt to ensure they continue in the college mindset.
When the school first opened in 2006, 137 Southwest Denver families applied for the 100 spots, following a door-to-door campaign reaching approximately 800 families. Leading into this school year, 181 students applied for about 100 spots. As a public charter school, Denver West Prep is open to all students, and selects them by lottery, with no review of grades, test scores, or past academic experience.
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