Julie

Bursch
FNDS 5810 H50
School in Community Context Study
December 13, 2013

1 Denver Public Library Digital Collections: Old Fairmont School,
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll23/id/9860
/rec/2

Julie Bursch

School in Community Context Study

Section I: Introduction


The school at which I currently teach first grade is called Denver Center for
International Studies at Fairmont, commonly referred to as DCIS. This innovative
public school opened its doors for the first time in August 2013 for elementary
students to eventually matriculate into the successful DCIS high school nearby in
Southwest Denver. DCIS took the place of a school called Fairmont Elementary that
was in operation since the 1880s. The school has served a plethora of different
community members throughout the societal changes over the last century. In its
most recent history, the school offered Early Childhood Education through 8th grade
Dual Language education. Though the school has changed administration, teachers,
vision, curriculum, and values this year, many of the students and families in the
surrounding community have remained a consistent presence throughout the
transition. These elements have created an interesting combination of community
tradition and contentious innovation. Because there has been a significant shift in
the schooling of the Fairmont community within the last year, my analysis will look
at both the information of the former Fairmont Elementary, as well as the current
information of DCIS at Fairmont.

Section II: Demography of School and District

According to the GreatSchools organizationwhich compares schools

nationwide based on parent ratings, reviews, and test scoresFairmont

Elementarys latest reported score was a 1 out of 10 (Fairmont K-8 School, 2013).
Out of 423 students, the demographics of the student population in 2010-2011 were

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School in Community Context Study

88% Hispanic, 8% white, and roughly 1% of American Indian, Black, or Multiple

races. This is vastly disproportionate when compared to the state averages, where
White students are the clear majority. Furthermore, 94% of students were reported
to be eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program in 2011.

Due to its first year in operation, DCIS does not yet have any cited

demographic data for this school year. However, Vanessa Lugo-Acevedo, the
International Studies School Coordinator, reported that that the current Hispanic
population enrolled at DCIS at Fairmont for the 2013-2014 school year is 78%, a
significant decrease from 88% the previous year. Conversely, the white population
has increased to 18%. In just one year, the demographics have drastically changed
towards White, middle class families having a stronger presence.

Michelle Bode, the matriarch of a long-standing family with multiple

generations of relatives who were Fairmont students since the 1970s, offered a
unique perspective on the demographic transition from Fairmont Elementary to
DCIS at Fairmont. She, her brothers and sisters, her children and now her

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School in Community Context Study

grandchildren have all attended Fairmont Elementary. When asked if she felt that
the transition to DCIS at Fairmont has impacted the identity of the community, she
responded with an unwavering absolutely. In the approximate five decades of her
lifetime, Fairmont has had a strong Hispanic presence, in which Hispanic families
had close relationships and important leadership roles within the school.

Michelle described: The school used to have great parent involvement,

where the families felt welcomed and valued. We had festivals honoring holidays
like Cinco de Mayo where parents would cook homemade Mexican meals, and it felt
authentic. Now, the PTA leaders from new, White families are wondering why there
is hardly any parent involvement from Hispanic families. Well its because we dont
feel like we have a voice anymore; we arent listened to.

Michelles words strike a sensitive issue in the changing demographics of our

school. White families with double incomes and educated parents are interested in
the innovative model and international perspective of our school. Yet, this creates a
conspicuous division between the low-income families of the former Fairmont and
those who are new to the community. The free and reduced lunch rate decreased
from 94% of the student population last year to 85% of the student population this
year. That number is eerily similar to the 10 percentage point decrease in the
Hispanic population, and 10 percentage point increase in the White population. That
figure speaks to the financial status of the families now enrolling at DCIS.

I recently expressed my frustration of having to bridge such a wide

achievement gap in my classroom to meet all needs of the varying demographics of

my students. While many of my students are a full grade level behind in their

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School in Community Context Study

academic achievement, there are just as many who are at least a full grade level
above where they need to be. Unsurprisingly, the academic levels of my students
correspond almost perfectly with the socio-economic statuses of their families.

In the past week, two different parents of White students have approached

me with concerns about the de facto school-wide focus on bringing up kids who are
already behind, and how this focus in turn leaves their gifted children behind.
When pressured by parents of successful children to constantly provide extensions
and differentiated material, I cannot help but believe that it isnt fair for me to spend
so much time on students who are already above grade level, when students who
are reading below grade level need my energy the most. Principal Anne Jacobs
sympathized with my frustration, but predicts that the trend of incoming White
families of higher economic statuses will continue and grow stronger with time.
Despite the fears from long-term community members, the schools population will
probably grow to match that of the DCIS high school: 57% Hispanic, 31% White, 8%
Asian, and only 65% free and reduced lunch rates (Asia Society, 2013).

There are no published resources to substantiate the claim that Denver

Public Schools supports the closure of Fairmont Elementary and the opening of DCIS
at Fairmont. However, it is evident that the Superintendent of the DPS district, Tom
Boasberg, has paid close personal attention to the success of DCIS since its
inception. He has worked personally with the principal, Anne Jacobs, and the DCIS
founder, Dan Lutz, to realize the vision of a DCIS at Fairmont. Additionally, due to
the rapid rise of charter schools in Denver, especially in the northeast area, DPS has

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School in Community Context Study

hoped that innovative public schools like DCIS can rejuvenate the districts
performance.

Section III: School Performance Criteria

In the 2012-2013 school year, Fairmonts last operating year, Fairmont

Elementary was in its 3rd year of Turnaround status. In the Spring of 2013, the TCAP
results for 3rd graders were between 20 and 34 percentage points below the state
averages. The average 3rd grade TCAP score was 50% in Math, 37% Reading, and
26% in Writing. In Math and Reading, these scores decreased from the scores
reported the previous year.

However, as you can see from the graph below, Fairmont students fell just above the
50th percentile when 2012 Math scores are compared to other Hispanic students

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School in Community Context Study

throughout the Denver Public Schools district. Unfortunately, this still only
translates to about 30% of students being at or above proficient. Yet, the schools
performance was not a drastic outlier on the district-wide performance graph.
Rather, current Principal Anne Jacobs of DCIS at Fairmont explained, the school had
just consistently not shown any growth for several years. The School Performance
Framework over the last five years substantiates this claim.

The School Performance Framework score for 2011-2012 reported Fairmont

Elementary as a yellow school for 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012, meaning that it
was Accredited On Watch. In 2010, Fairmont was labeled an orange school
Accredited on Priority Watch. Though these are unfavorable scores, yellow is only a
mediocre score, still two levels up from the worst rating. By contrast, I taught at a
school called Northeast Academy Charter School that was shut down last year too,

2 Colorado Department of Education: SchoolView

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School in Community Context Study

and its SPF rating was redAccredited on Probationfor five years straight. It is
plausible to imagine why a school like Northeast Academy would be shut down. This
leaves one wondering, why was there such a strong push by Tom Boasberg and DPS
to shut down Fairmont Elementary if it was only, so to speak, considered a yellow
school?

Please note that the single outstanding score Fairmont received was in the

department of Parent Satisfaction, and it aligns with the information I gathered from
the long-term families of the Fairmont community. Unfortunately, the school district
only allocates 2 points for this kind of success.

3 DPS: School Performance Framework

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School in Community Context Study

Section IV: School and District Leadership


Sherri Slaymaker is the school psychologist and has been working at
Fairmont for the past 8 years. In her time with the Fairmont community, she has
seen 5 different principals. Especially with the Turnaround status implemented a
few years ago, there were a few interim principals who saw through some of the
schools major transitions. Mayorvy Cifuentes, a veteran middle school science
teacher from Guatemala, was hired on to be the Assistant Principal last year and to
continue on as the Assistant Principal this year. His role was to help further smooth
the transition between closing Fairmont and opening DCIS at Fairmont. Parents of
minority children seem to distrust Anne, saying she will listen to your concerns but
wont try to do anything about it. Meanwhile, a few different minority families I
spoke with look very kindly upon Mayorvy. They appreciate that he can
communicate with them in Spanish, and they feel that he is supportive, and is
always helping to find a solution. Whether this bias is rooted in racial familiarity
has yet to be determined.

In 2011, Tom Boasberg called Anne Jacobs, who was the Assistant Principal

at Cole Arts and Science Academy, and personally convinced her to become the
principal for DCIS at Fairmont. Though he wanted the school to open in 2012, Anne
defended the idea that she needed a year to prepare for the new school. If and only if
she was granted this time, she would agree to become the principal. One major
reason that she wanted a full year to prepare is because she wanted that much time
to find and recruit the staff that she believed would make an inspiring team. Tom

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School in Community Context Study

Boasberg agreed, and Anne and Mayorvy began creating the vision and team for
DCIS at Fairmont.

Section V: Community Member Perspectives

Alecia Martinez is a mom of a fourth grader at DCIS, who also offered her

views on the change within the community. She has two children who previously
attended Fairmont Elementary and are currently attending the DCIS high school on
6th Avenue. As a co-president of the Parent Teacher Association, she passed out DCIS
fliers last year to neighbors in the community and was a serious advocate for the
transition from Fairmont to DCIS. However, she says that there has been a definite
impact on the school culture.

She explained how many of the Hispanic or Latino families at DCIS no longer

feel valued, and do not want to get involved as much as they did in previous years.
Particularly with the PTA, she says, there are strong-headed White parents who
basically announce, it doesnt matter what you say, because we are going to do
things my way. Historically, all of the money raised by the PTA has been spent
directly on the students, such as classroom supplies or field trips. Now however,
Alecia is frustrated because this is no longer the case. For example, the latest
proposal by the PTA was to spend money on a cake for Principal Jacobs birthday.

When asked how they felt about the majority of the new teachers being

White young females, Alecia and Michelle both responded that they didnt have
much of a problem with it on a racial basis. However, one thing they did notice is
that only 3 teachers out of the whole school were mothers with children. They

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School in Community Context Study

observed that this had the effect of making teachers less patient with students.
Their claim was that when you have children of your own, you are more patient and
understanding. Thus, they get frustrated when the young teachers discipline their
children and ask parents to be more involved with things like homework. They
believe the teachers do not understand all of the demands that come with being a
mother.
Section VI: Discussion and Questions for Further Investigation

One thing I am gathering from the investigation of Fairmonts history is that

the Hispanic identity of the community, once thriving and authentic, is now being
challenged by families of diverse racial, economic, and social configurations. In June
of 2013, Denvers own 303 Magazine published a story on the revitalization of the
Baker neighborhood (Anderson, 2013). Holly Northup, the president of the Baker
Historic Neighborhood Association (BHNA), claims that we are seeing more
families and couples moving into the areaand they fight to keep it beautiful and
historic. Thus the transition to a population of more White families is occurring in
the residential aspects of the neighborhood as well as in the institution of schooling.

The opening of DCIS at Fairmont seems to be a crucial step in the process of

gentrifying the historic Baker community. Gentrification is known as the transition

of an urban community towards wealthier residents, usually at the expense and/or
displacement of the poorer residents in that community. Jennifer Burns Stillman,
author of Gentrification and Schools: The Process of Integration when Whites Reverse
Flight, explains this phenomenon in relation to schools:

The reinvestment of capital in underprivileged, urban communities has the affect of

putting the affluent and the poor on the same streets, and has the potential to do the

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same in schools. Racial segregation and concentrated poverty rarely breed an

optimal environment for learning, and the arrival of the children of the gentry in
urban schools offers the potential to improve them (Stillman, 2012).

Exploring and analyzing the history of the Fairmont community has been a

challenging and emotional experience. On one hand, I am an enthusiastic, idealistic

agent for change as a founding member of DCIS at Fairmont. I work with inspiring
educators who are innovative and dedicated to providing all children with the
opportunity to an excellent education. Alternatively, I am also a contributing
member of a school that encourageswhether overtly or subconsciouslythe
phasing out of long-standing Hispanic community members and the inundation of
White, privileged families. My biggest fear is that this school will take away the
identity of the Hispanic Fairmont neighborhood rather than embracing its culture as
an asset. I worry that DCIS at Fairmont will further displace the Hispanic families,
either culturally or physically, who have called it home for generations.

If the purpose of schooling is to maintain the status quo and keep dominant

groups in power, then I believe that DCIS at Fairmont will succeed. However, my
purpose as an educator differs drastically from this perspective. I hope to empower
communities who have experienced less opportunities and educational inequality.
We must face a reality of the United States history of schooling that not all children
are provided with an excellent education. We must make every effort to turn low
performing schools into high performing schools. However, if we can only achieve
this transformation by slowly displacing the minority students, then what are we
actually accomplishing in the end?

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References

Anderson, C. (2013, June 21). Happenin' Hoods: Vibrant Community Flourishes in
Historic Baker. Retrieved from
http://303magazine.com/2013/06/happenin-hoods-vibrant-community-
flourishes-in-historic-baker-neighborhood/

Colorado Department of Education. Retrieved from
https://edx.cde.state.co.us/growth_model/public/index.htm#/year-
2012/district-0880/schools

Denver Center for International Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://asiasociety.org/education/international-studies-schools-
network/denver-center-international-studies

Fairmont K-8 School. (2013, May 10). Retrieved from
http://www.greatschools.org/colorado/denver/434-Fairmont-K-8-School/

Stillman , J. B. (2012). Gentrification and schools: The Process of Integration When
Whites Reverse Flight . New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan


School Performance Framework 2011-2012 Spotlight Summary Scorecard. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://spf.dpsk12.org/documents/2012/237 - Stoplight
Scorecard.pdf

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