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DPS Foundation Receives $50,000 Grant from Piper Jaffray

Funds will support a new elementary school science curriculum

DENVER, Aug. 15, 2007– DPS Foundation received a $50,000 grant from Piper Jaffray for a new science curriculum that is being implemented in all elementary schools across DPS.

Never before has DPS had a standard curriculum for science at the elementary level. As a result, science education in the classroom has been inconsistent, leaving individual schools and teachers on their own to develop a curriculum, lesson plans, and teaching materials. The 2007 CSAP scores are reflective of this problem with 75% of DPS students scoring below proficient in science.

The DPS Foundation is helping the school district raise funds for the new curriculum – called Science Tracks. As part of this effort, Piper Jaffray committed $50,000 over a two-year period to help purchase new science kits, student learning guides, and provide training for teachers. The overall goal is to raise student achievement in science as well as help elementary school students get excited about science at an early age.

"As we all have heard, the United States is falling behind other countries in terms of producing a highly-skilled work force in science and engineering. DPS feels strongly that we cannot continue to let our children lag behind," said Barbara Berv, president and CEO of the DPS Foundation. "With the support of companies like Piper Jaffray, we are transforming science education in DPS and creating a pipeline of future scientists and engineers right here in Denver."

"It is critical that we support programs like Science Tracks," says Jonathan Heroux, managing director of Piper Jaffray. "Programs like this build effective workers of the future for area employers and create a foundation for continued U.S. competitiveness in critical technology and science-related industries."

Science Tracks is a hands-on curriculum – it is not textbook teaching but rather learning by doing. The curriculum provides resource kits that contain all items needed for each lesson. For example, first graders studying weather will have thermometers to measure the temperature and rain gauges to measure rainfall. Third graders studying the earth will have soil and rocks to examine. The kits also contain student workbooks (in both English and Spanish), teacher guides, tools, and materials – everything students need to learn science and everything teachers need to teach science.

Close to 300 DPS elementary school teachers completed a week-long training workshop last week to learn the curriculum and how to teach it.

About the Denver Public Schools Foundation

DPS Foundation (www.dpsfoundation.org) raises and manages funds in support of the district’s ambitious reform plan – The Denver Plan – to improve student achievement. Through top-notch professional development for principals, enhanced teacher training, improved curriculum and quality of instruction, student enrichment programs, and community partnerships, we are helping to reshape Denver Public Schools into the leading big city school district in the country.

About Piper Jaffray Philanthropy
For more than 25 years, Piper Jaffray and the Piper Jaffray Foundation allocate 5-percent of pre-tax earnings to the community. Piper Jaffray was founded on a premise of partnership and opportunity. Through the areas of community investment, economic education and youth leadership, the firm’s foundation and corporate giving focus is to support community opportunity and sustainability. In 2006, the firm's giving totaled more than $3 million.

About Piper Jaffray
Piper Jaffray Companies is a leading, international middle market investment bank and institutional securities firm, serving the needs of middle market corporations, private equity groups, public entities, nonprofit clients and institutional investors. Founded in 1895, Piper Jaffray provides a comprehensive set of products and services, including equity and debt capital markets products; public finance services; mergers and acquisitions advisory services; high-yield and structured products; institutional equity and fixed-income sales and trading; and equity and high-yield research. With headquarters in Minneapolis, Piper Jaffray has 25 offices across the United States and international locations in London and Shanghai. The firm's UK operating subsidiary, Piper Jaffray Ltd., is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Piper Jaffray & Co. is the firm's principal operating subsidiary. (NYSE: PJC; http://www.piperjaffray.com)