In an October 8 story for the Washington Times, reporter Valerie Richardson quoted Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno on a recent Denver Public Schools controversy over teacher evaluation language promoting social activism:
“Let’s face it, in DPS, roughly 50 percent of the children across the board can’t even read at grade level. In math it’s the same, sometimes worse,” Ms. Benigno said. “And yet they’re going to spend time and have teachers being concerned about these types of issues.”
As the school year began, all district teachers were to receive the highest rating for encouraging students to “challenge and question the dominant culture” and “take social action to change/ improve society or work for social justice.” Students are expected to “appear comfortable challenging the dominant culture in respectful ways.”
On the Sept. 27 edition of the Mike Rosen Show, superintendent Tom Boasberg explained that the district revised the evaluation framework because the language “didn’t capture the appropriate intent.”
However, not all concerns have been alleviated, the Education Policy Center director told the Washington Times:
“I feel parents need to be on guard, talk to their children and listen to what they say,” said Ms. Benigno. “Nationally, people need to be looking for this to happen in their schools.”
