The first day of school brings feelings of excitement and nerves for so many of us. As a mother of two DPS students myself, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I dropped them off for their first day of school. My oldest son, John, is attending his first year of middle school at DSST Byers, and for the first time ever, wouldn’t let me take a picture of him. I know this is a rite of passage that all of us parents must go through. Still, the beginning of school is one of my favorite times—a time that promises so much for our students, our schools and our district.
Fulfilling this promise, yesterday marked a historic day for Denver Public Schools and our state. Governor John Hickenlooper, along with U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg, and national business leaders, announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies and JPMorgan Chase Foundation together committed $9.5 million to CareerWise Colorado (formerly Business and Schools in Collaboration, BASIC), a new statewide apprenticeship system for students and DPS CareerConnect. Of the committed total, $4 million is dedicated to the DPS Foundation for a pilot program that equips the district’s middle and high school students with high-demand skills for lucrative careers and postsecondary opportunities in Colorado’s leading industries. This is the largest investment of its kind in Colorado, and one of the largest in the nation.
This investment builds upon the success of DPS’ CareerConnect, which currently serves 6,000 students in 10 programs of study from finance to medical to technical, and more. And the data speaks for itself: students enrolled in CareerConnect have a 30 percent higher graduation rate than their peers.The additional investment from JPMorgan Chase Foundation will reach 9,000 students over the next three years expands the path to high-demand, good paying jobs. At the announcement, as I was greeted by CareerConnect students, I couldn’t help but imagine them as CEOs and community leaders sharing their own life-changing announcements from podiums in the near future!
The potential economic impact of this momentous partnership for Denver and the state is enormous, as more of our students are further prepared to take on roles in leading companies. And the potential impact in lives is equally great, as our students are prepared to be self-sufficient and raise families of their own. As Secretary Perez said, “This is an earn-while-you-learn model.”
From the first day of school to a historic day…In August, our kids arrived across the district with fanfare deserving of the start of 173 days of learning. As we strive—together—toward our vision of the first day begins the march toward our goal. Students crossing our threshold today will be our graduates and thought leaders of tomorrow.
I don’t have a picture of my son from his first day of school. But as a mom, I hold the anticipation of the year ahead for him—and for every one of the more than 90,000 students in DPS. With your support, the leadership of our Board of Education and Superintendent, along with the educational professionals and families across the district, we’ve kicked off the year in a BIG way. We look forward to your continued partnership in this journey, and I look forward to keeping you updated.
For additional information on the announcement, please see our press release.