Originally Posted by The Denver Post on January 17, 2014. Copyright © denverpost.com. Written by Kevin Simpson. Read here.
Dale has overseen the latest version of a years-long school reform effort that has tried, with limited success, to improve student performance in the high-poverty neighborhood.
Under Dale, Manual’s status sank to the lowest-performing high school in the city.
A letter to Manual’s students, families and community noted that despite significant investment in the school, performance has declined. In addition, it cited concerns about faculty retention and unhappiness of parents as factors contributing to the change in leadership.
It did not specifically say Dale had been fired, only that he “will not be continuing” as principal. Chalkbeat Colorado first reported his departure. Attempts to contact Dale by The Denver Post were unsuccessful.
The district felt that the work of improving the school should start immediately, according to the letter signed by Alyssa Whitehead-Bust, chief of the DPS Office of School Reform & Innovation, and Antwan Wilson, assistant superintendent for post-secondary readiness.
Starting next month, the school will convene students, families and community members to examine the factors that contributed to its performance decline and help chart a new academic direction.
Superintendent Tom Boasberg echoed the importance of reopening that conversation.
“It’s essential that there be a very close dialogue with the community about how to strengthen Manual,” he said. “Everyone shares a very clear interest here, which is to have a strong school serving the kids of northeast Denver.”
Manual has been the focus of reform efforts for years. In 2006, the district finally closed the school, a move that proved unpopular among many in the community. It later reopened as a major turnaround effort led by then-Superintendent Michael Bennet, now a U.S. senator.
Rob Stein, a former graduate of Manual, became principal and supervised the revival, which showed some encouraging achievement gains. But he left in 2010, and the district tabbed Dale after a year under interim principal Joe Sandoval.
Critics point to a change in instructional focus to a “social justice” approach that included sending students on out-of-state field trips to explore civil rights issues while test scores fell.
Van Schoales, who leads the reform-minded group A+ Denver and has been largely supportive of DPS efforts, said the change in leadership was overdue but “better late than never.”
“It’s by far the most tragic example of school reform in Colorado,” Schoales said of the school’s difficulties. “There have been clearly many efforts since the end of busing to serve low-income kids at Manual, and each of them have had fatal flaws. I think the district is in a position to do right by Manual. But they’re really going to need to step up this time.”
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739 or ksimpson@denverpost.com