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As someone who attended Denver Public Schools schools my entire life (Park Hill Elementary, Smiley Middle School and East High School), I was both encouraged and saddened by the recent Rocky Mountain News series “Leaving to Learn.”
I am glad to see attention focused on how to improve DPS. However, the conclusion that the system is “broken” (April 26) does not do enough to recognize the distinction between problems with educators and problems with policy.
During my four years at East, more than a dozen teachers were lost to budget cuts thanks to brilliant state policies like TABOR which prevented adjustments to compensate for the 2001 recession. This made it kind of hard to aim for smaller class sizes.
Even worse, draconian hiring policies mandated at the district level handicap DPS teaching quality. As department chair, one of my best teachers expressed extreme frustration because he was not allowed to fill a rare opening with applicants who were not already in the DPS system. He was told to pick from the list DPS approved, rather than his top choices based on applications and interviews.
So, even if the system is “broken,” this should not be extended generally to all DPS teachers. There are plenty of mediocre instructors, but the bureaucratic issues are a far greater threat to a quality education.
I fear readers will assume from this report that all DPS teachers are incompetent, This would be an insult to the many incredibly talented and caring teachers I was lucky enough to have.

Michael Wilkerson,
Stanford, Calif.

READER COMMENTS

A great letter. Unfortunately, too many people now look for the easy way out, and, in this case, the easy way is to just blame all of the issues of DPS on the teachers. That way, many of the sorry excuses for parents that are becoming way too common don't have to look in the mirror. Instead of wondering what they could do better, they can point the finger at teachers and go on being their lazy, irresponsible selves.

I personally think Rocky Mountain News is deliberately trying to sabotage the public school system in general by writing such a negative series of articles, with fear-inducing headlines.

And it makes me very sad that an American publication would campaign to undermine our American public school system. Perhaps the editors at the Rocky Mountain News received private education and are therefore biased and unfamiliar with the extra mile low-paid public school teachers go to on their own time and dime. I don't know.

But as an expectant mother, I look forward to participating in my child's education by volunteering at the public schools and not expecting his teachers to replace my parenting responsibilities.

I went to both public and private schools. There were great and mediocre teachers at both, and very occasionally, terrible teachers. For the Rocky Mountain News to imply that the latter can mostly be found at public schools is a complete untruth, and in my opinion, their campaign to destroy public education is Un-American.

"As department chair, one of my best teachers expressed extreme frustration because he was not allowed to fill a rare opening with applicants who were not already in the DPS system. He was told to pick from the list DPS approved, rather than his top choices based on applications and interviews." - Michael Wilkerson

Michael, I am curious about this policy. Obviously it sucks, but where did it originate? Did the teacher's union have anything to do with it to favor their membership and their candidates over the best candidate overall? What is the logic behind such a moronic policy that locks out the "best and the brightest" that want to work to teach our kids? Thanks.

"And it makes me very sad that an American publication would campaign to undermine our American public school system. " - mytwosense

If I replaced your words "public school system" with the word "military" or "war efforts" or "war on Islamic terrorism", would that also make you "very sad" to see them undermined in such a way? Why do I think not? Welcome to my world when I see what the NYTimes prints, or the WashPost, or the LATimes, and let's not forget the Denver Post too.

If I replaced your words "public school system" with the word "military" or "war efforts" or "war on Islamic terrorism", would that also make you "very sad" to see them undermined in such a way?

If you're talking about the war in Iraq, no, it would decidedly not.

But if you think it's all the same, may I ask why don't you have a problem with the Rocky Mountain News undermining our public school system?

mytwosense,

Thanks for an honest answer. All I was looking for was for you (and those like you) to see that when something you believe in and you think is doing the best they can and striving to accomplish something noble and great, to see it attacked and "undermined" by the US press is not fun - is it? To me, all I see is the RMN telling it like it is - because I think the public school system in America is terribly flawed - as you probably see the US Military and the Iraq War. When you hear that the President wants more $$$ and to add troops to secure Baghdad, you hear more $$$ and lives being flushed down a toilet. That is what I hear when I see that public schools want more tax dollars from me. Isn't it funny how we are both quick to attack that which we distrust and disagree with, but just as quick to defend that which we believe in and trust? Just an observation.

My thanks to Michael Wilkerson for such an intelligent and thoughtful letter, not to mention the rare civility of it here on the forum. What would be unusual would be for it to receive the attention it deserves from those in a position to do something about it.

Hopefully the other Michael will not succeed in trying to shift the focus from DPS to Iraq.

Truth,

That is NOT my intention. I simply used it as an example in my comparison.. You need not worry.

Isn't it funny how we are both quick to attack that which we distrust and disagree with, but just as quick to defend that which we believe in and trust?

I think that's just human nature all around.

What I find not so funny is how the citizens of this country are so deeply divided on so many issues. Maybe it's like that in most countries, I don't know...

"What I find not so funny is how the citizens of this country are so deeply divided on so many issues. Maybe it's like that in most countries, I don't know..."

It is. Look at the violent protests in france last night just because a conservative (for france at least) and a pro-American won the election for President. Our country has always been divided on some lines - it is the natural state of things. Unity and harmony are the exceptions to the rule - not the rule. Unity (forced), harmony (demanded), and peace (at the barrel of a gun) are only the state of things in a tyranny or dictatorship - certainly not in an open society with the free exchange of ideas. It is unsettling, but it is also lively and energizing, regardless of what side you are on. Wouldn't you agree?

It is unsettling, but it is also lively and energizing, regardless of what side you are on. Wouldn't you agree?

Oh, definitely. But I feel that there are certain elements who really want to pit us fellow Americans against each other, so that the dialogue is no longer just lively and energizing, but downright hateful and paranoia-inducing. For example, I just heard that conservative talk show pundits are blaming liberals on the VA Tech shooting.

I think that's horrible, period.

mytwosense,

I have heard that tossed around. Ignore it. I have also heard "liberals" toss out some wild accusations about conservatives too. I ignore them as well. Most of us occupy the middle in some way. Compared to some of the "yellow journalism" practiced in earlier parts of this nation's history, when people did not have the internet to fact check, what we have today is downright tame. Go back sometime and pull political headlines from the early 20th, 19th, and 18th centuries. You would be appalled.

We were surprised, but delighted, that the Rocky would print its DPS report.
For several years, the District has been failing, while the local press has looked the other way.
Sorry, "mytwosense" but it's not the media making DPS LOOK bad that's the problem. It's DPS actually BEING bad that's the problem.
Once your kids are old enough to attend school, you will be in a position to complain about press reports concerning DPS. Until then, please let those of us who tried to educate our kids in the District speak our peace. From many of us, you will hear the same sorry story: This school district doesn't care about kids, or about workers.
Parents and employees know this, and have stopped trusting DPS to act fairly or decently. It's not the fault of the Rocky to have reported this sad state of affairs: it's just the plain simple truth.

Sorry, "mytwosense" but it's not the media making DPS LOOK bad that's the problem. It's DPS actually BEING bad that's the problem. Once your kids are old enough to attend school, you will be in a position to complain about press reports concerning DPS. Until then, please let those of us who tried to educate our kids in the District speak our peace.

Kathy, I am not trying to prevent you from speaking your piece, just speaking mine, as that's what this forum is hopefully intended for - a variety of voices and opinions.

I am curious, since you are an experienced parent, and I am not (yet), what were the specific problems you witnessed? What did you do to bring those problems to the DPS District's attention? Did you address those problems to your child's teachers? Were you a member of the PTA?

By the way, these questions aren't meant to challenge you in any way. I am honestly seeking helpful information on how I can be an advocate for my child's public education when the time comes.

If you have the time to answer them, I'd be most appreciative, if not, I understand that as a mom you're probably very busy! :)

I am delighted to respond to your inquiries.
We were planning to send our children to the local elementary school -- only to find the classes way too full and the teachers way too young & inexperienced to manage the children. On the first day, the teachers complained openly about a lack of resources, and indicated the school board wouldn't listen to their concerns.
We are proactive parents who attended the next Board meeting to address these issues. To our amazement, the ONLY interest taken by the Board was in the identity of the persons who "ratted" to us about conditions at the schools -- so that those people could get in trouble -- there was no interest at all in resolving the actual problems raised. We didn't need to have any more experiences, to know DPS was not likely to educate our kids appropriately. We left Denver in 1990 and never looked back. Our children graduated with high honors in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
In contrast, ALL THREE of our closest friends who stayed with the District watched their children drop out.
I know that when your kids get old enough to go to school, you will want the best for them....I pray (but doubt) you will find it at DPS.

Kathy mentions serious problems with DPS. But it is not enough that some parents, such as Kathy, are able to go elsewhere. There are simply too many children who are getting their education at DPS. It is a problem that needs to be solved rather than just circumvented. Too many parents are not in a position to circumvent. Perhaps there will never be the changes that are needed but it is too important an issue to give up trying.

I also think it is unfair to issue a blanket denunciation of DPS. No parent has very wide exposure to very many schools or teachers. I think that a blanket denunciation, based, as it must be, on insufficient information, is unfair to the teachers and schools who may not have the problems that, for example, Kathy encountered. I think people should be quite careful about excessive and unwarranted extrapolation.

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