DPS Superintendent Boasberg asked A+ Denver in November 2014 to facilitate a series of roundtable discussions with DPS senior staff and outside experts to provide feedback on DPS’ approach to having great principals in every building. A+ Denver, joined by the Donnell-Kay Foundation, hosted a series of five meetings to discuss how to improve and better support school leaders in Denver Public Schools. The School Leadership Roundtable, consisting of leaders in education, businesses, and community groups, served as a forum to provide feedback on DPS’ current practices, processes, and challenges in supporting school leadership.
We would like to thank Denver Public Schools for recognizing the importance of this work, and asking us to convene a diverse group of thought-leaders to help inform the district’s approach to school leadership. To that end, we owe a great debt to the participants of the School Leadership Roundtable. This group gave time and real thoughtfulness while engaging with the district on key challenges, providing both a sounding board and explicit recommendations on district policies and processes. The recommendations included in this document are heavily informed by the conversations and insights of the Roundtable.
Building on these conversations, A+ Denver and Donnell-Kay recommend the following strategies aimed at helping the Denver Public Schools define a best-in-class leadership management system.