June 8, 2017
DENVER Since 1926
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PARTY TIME: Denver Zoo readies for annual fundraising event P6
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DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
SUMMER KICKS OFF
DPS task force tackles racial issues cited in report Recommendations include offering signing bonuses to black educators BY MELANIE ASMAR CHALKBEAT.ORG
Jaylene Flores, left, describes this year’s summer reading program to Emily Scott at Denver Public Library’s Bear Valley location.
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he start of summer is often a time of celebration as students from kindergarten to college are temporarily relieved of duty. For those living in the metro area, the MY Denver Card really allows those between the ages of 5 and 18 to combine their library and recreation center cards into one. For the younger holders of library cards, the arrival of summer means “A Summer of Adventure for Denver Kids,” the summer reading programs hosted by Denver Public Library. Running from June 1 through Aug. 12, students from kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to log their hours spent reading to win prizes that include coupons and passes to fun locations in Denver, such as Elitch Gardens. The reading program’s kickoff at Bear Valley Branch Library included free popsicles and games for kids to enjoy with their parents. Library patron Emily Scott, 15, has been participating in Bear Valley’s summer reading program since preschool. Her favorite aspect “is the prizes of the program, like coupon books.” PHOTOS BY DAVIS BONNER
Denver Public Library’s ‘Summer of Adventure” for Denver kids allows youths to win prizes via logging how many hours they spend reading.
Helping African-American families understand their children’s school choices, offering signing bonuses to prospective black teachers and making student discipline data count in school ratings are among the recommendations of a task force that tackled inequities faced by African-American students and educators in Denver. “Once we were able to get past some of the hurts that people experienced, once we were able to come up with the root causes and understand this process is going to be uncomfortable, we were able to come together in a way to do the work we need to do,” Allen Smith, the associate chief of Denver Public Schools’ Culture, Equity and Leadership Team, said in late May at an event to reveal the recommendations and solicit feedback at Bruce Randolph School on the city’s northeast side. The DPS African-American Equity Task Force, which included more than 100 members, made 11 recommendations in all. They include directing the district to: • Design a tool to assist African-American families in understanding which schools best match their students’ needs SEE SCHOOLS, P2
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