INDEPENDENT EVALUATION AND REPORT
Several independent reports have been produced that highlight the positive impact Blueprint's work is having in schools.
Colorado Turnaround Schools - Rays of Hope
A+ Colorado - Citizens for Denver Schools
A report from A+ Denver - Citizens for Denver Schools titled Colorado Turnaround Schools - Rays of Hope points to the Denver Summit Schools Network, a network of turnaround schools that Blueprint has partnered with since 2011, as one of the most successful turnaround efforts in Colorado. The report states that:
“Prioritizing the considerable challenge of fixing some chronically underperforming schools is producing positive change for the Denver Summit Schools Network in the city’s Far Northeast...dedicating staff within DPS to School Turnaround, and teaming with experienced outside partners, underscores the seriousness of the district’s commitment…”
Financing Expanded Learning Time in Schools
National Center on Time and Learning
An independent report titled Financing Expanded Learning Time in Schools from the National Center on Time and Learning features a profile of Blueprint's partner school, McGlone Elementary, in Denver, CO and its efforts to implement extended learning time as part of a comprehensive school turnaround plan. The profile "provides an example of how a turnaround partner - in this case Blueprint Schools Network - can help a school successfully implement a longer school day and year...”
Independent Internal Audit of the Blueprint Fellows Program
The Denver Public Schools Office of Accountability, Research, and Evaluation
The Denver Public Schools Office of Accountability, Research, and Evaluation has also conducted an independent internal audit of the Blueprint Fellows Program, and its impact on student achievement. In their evaluation, DPS found that the Fellows Program produced “strong incremental growth [in mathematics] across the year for all grades and schools.”
In addition, the DPS report interviewed seven principals from Blueprint’s Denver network and found that all of them were “strongly in favor” of the program and believed it should be expanded to other DPS schools. Some of the specific feedback received from principals includes: