Beginning in 2010, The Evaluation Center in the School of Education and Human Development, at the University of Colorado Denver, was contracted through a collaborative effort by Denver Public Schools (DPS), Colorado Education Association, A+ Denver, and Denver Classroom Teachers Association to provide external evaluation services to study the Innovation Schools in Denver.
This report summarizes the evaluation conducted during the final year of a three-year study. Three factors – school climate of empowerment, workforce capacity, and student outcomes – were examined in 19 Innovation Schools1 in DPS and 12 Comparison Schools. The study looked at differences between these groups of schools. Data from 34 DPS Charter Schools were included, when possible, as an additional point of reference.
All results were consistent with the findings from the previous year’s study. A summary of the results is presented below, organized by evaluation question.