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Interviewed for Leaving to Learn

Monday, April 30 at 12:01 AM

This Speakout has not been edited

By Stephanie Cavallaro , Littleton

April 19, 2007 I am writing in response to the series “Leaving to Learn: DPS’ Enrollment Gap.” I was interviewed and quoted as part of day three, “Southwest Suburbs and Easy Choice.”

When Burt Hubbard called and requested my participation in the story I was pleased to be able to share my personal experience around the school choice issue. I became concerned about how my school and my personal comments would be portrayed as soon as I read the series title previewed by the editor on Sunday, April 15. I was hoping that this series would do more than point fingers toward a “failing” school district and really explore the issues surrounding school choice in the metropolitan area. The issue in my neighborhood is not a DPS/Jeffco/Littleton/ issue. It goes much deeper than that and I wish my family and school had received the exposure and positive light that the Jefferson County families and school did.

My full-time job is as an instructor for the Teacher in Residence Program at Metropolitan State College of Denver which is an alternative license program. A large part of my job is to coach my teacher candidates in their classrooms. In the past 7 years I have visited hundreds of classrooms in the metropolitan area. I know how to find high quality education and have consciously chosen that for my children. The article implied that I simply sent my children to the neighborhood school without a great deal of thought. Nothing would be further from the truth.

I will first say that I am not claiming that I was quoted incorrectly; just incompletely. I would like to take this opportunity to complete the facts about my “choice” of school for my children. The article quoted me as saying, “I made the decision that we would go to our home school (Grant Ranch K-8) unless there was a reason not to.” I also shared with Mr. Hubbard that we had been at Grant Ranch since its opening 6 years ago and that my children are absolutely thriving!

My fourth grader scored advanced in all areas on his 3rd grade CSAP and has been identified as Highly Gifted.

The article implied through a neighbor’s comment that Grant Ranch doesn’t have a GT program. On the contrary, most of the staff is GT trained and differentiates instruction for every student. My son has consistently been challenged by his teachers. My first grader is currently reading at the level of an end of the year second grade student. I credit their successes to every teacher they have had.

It was also implied that class sizes are bigger at Grant Ranch than at Blue Heron. Class sizes K-2 have been consciously kept below 25! And, those classrooms have paraprofessionals as well! I would challenge the reporters to find out how many schools in any district can say that.

The photos selected for the piece also made the angle of the story quite evident. There were four pictures of the Jefferson County family. One playing in a beautiful backyard, another fixing breakfast together while the picture of my daughter was holding a pancake over her face while having breakfast at school. The photos seemed to imply, “Poor DPS child, her mother shoves her out of the house for an industrial breakfast while the lucky Jefferson county kids get homemade breakfast.” What about my beautiful house and the walking carpool on my block in the same neighborhood?!!! Overall, the article was disappointing to me. The truth about school choice in our neighborhood is that we can’t lose. We have two schools within walking distance fighting for our children. They both do superb jobs educating the kids in our neighborhood which was not portrayed by your reporters. I will think twice before participating in future projects with the Rocky Mountain News. And, I will read your paper with a different eye from here on out.

Thanks for the opportunity to express my thoughts.

READER COMMENTS

Well if the pancake fits!!

Posted by on May 2, 2007 07:29 AM