Denver Public Schools Reviews

Pros

Innovation. New Opportunities, Love my Colleagues!

Cons

Political, DCTA, burned Out Teacher/Cumbersome Firing Process

Advice to Senior Management

Be more transparent!

Pros

Get to basically work for myself. I get to decide where and when and how often I work.

Cons

The requirement for a substitute teacher is breathing. The schools always complain about how bad the subs are, but they pay less than a teacher assistant! It is embarrassing to go to work knowing that the helper is making the same if not more than you. They on;y start to pay decently after one has worked 480 hours. That takes most of the school year! They would be able to be more picky and have people willing to be a substitute teacher as an actual career type job if they rewarded the good ones. But they don't.

Advice to Senior Management

Have super sub status pay carry over for good and hard working substitutes.

Pros

online program to get assignments
flexible
offers subs unfilled seats for professional development programs

Cons

very little support from administration
rather than having subs concentrate at just a couple schools, you work at too many and don't get to know the students or the rules and procedures at each school
pays the least of any of the area schools

Advice to Senior Management

pay more, keep subs in three schools secondary schools or less, make sure subs get rules and procedures for each school

Pros

The students are great and will always appreciate (even if they don't show it) everything that you do. Collaboration amongst the staff occurs regularly and one doesn't feel alone in their classroom. The use of technology is growing and funds are slowly being provided to bring computers into every classroom. The time off from work is regular and teachers are encouraged to constantly seek more education.

Cons

The pay is terrible. You will work long, long hours planning, grading papers, coming up with new ways of teaching with no compensation or little praise from upper management. Most teachers who have been working over 5-8 yrs still have an extra job. The insurance plan is limited to only Kaiser and the co-pays have gone up through the last few years. Administration continually adds more activities, projects,and professional development with no extra pay or encouragement.

Advice to Senior Management

Teachers understand that this job is not about the pay. We work hard at this career in hopes of providing stability to our students, empowering humans through the wisdom of education, and to be a part of a role that will make the great difference in the world. Due to this responsibility and the little that we are paid, teachers need encouragement, praise, and recognition. They want to feel a part of the decisions being made and for administration to pick quality over quantity on new initiatives.

Pros

If you are looking for a part-time position to occupy extra time and make a little money, it is a great place to work as a substitute teacher. No benefits though.

Cons

The hiring practices in administration appear to be nepotistic. There are no benefits available or incentives for substitute teachers who work just as hard as teachers to make a living.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide incentives and benefits to substitutes who work in urban regions or those regions where there are frequent behavioral issues in the schools.

Pros

People ar Nice
People are Qualified

Cons

No room for advancement
Cant seem to get ANYONE to commit and make decissions

Advice to Senior Management

Take a closer look at where we're spending money
Know WHY we're doing specific projects. Many don't bring any value

Pros

If you care about students from low-income, high risk areas, you can make a big difference in DPS.

Cons

Miscommunication, non tenured teachers have no rights, lack of funding, lack of organization within the district, poor planning, punitive measures

Advice to Senior Management

Please, stop hiring so many teacher effectiveness coaches and middle level administrators and give teachers more autonomy and respect. Also put less money into assessment and more into supplies and materials, please.

Pros

Thoughtful practioners in the schools, some cooperative principals, some district departments are open to collaborative decision making, many students are taking charge of their education and beginning to advocate for themselves, we have had the good fortune to have influential grant supporters give generously to support advanced technology in a world where it is critical to develop these skills for the 21 century student

Cons

Top down decision making without a collaborative decision making process, being told to look at the politics of a situation and not think about what works best for children, massive cuts will increase work load and decrease time in the buildings supporting teachers and students, some parents who walk in demanding outrageous support believing that their child is the only one needing a good education, senior leadership demanding instant data when they have not done their homework on data already provided, powerful leaders treating their employees disrepectfully

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to collaborative meetings where ALL members have a voice in the brainstorming and assisting to make the final product work for all constituents, model this strategy so the students we teach see a democratic process in action instead of the dictator style of management the district seems to be leaning towards. ask the people you pay for their thoughts on current issues...if we help build the plane before it is airborne instead of being expected to build the plane as it is flying is a better management strategy,

Pros

DPS offers several opportunities for professional growth to schools.
DPS has an efficient system of student achievement via Teacher Portal.

Cons

Hostile work environment for new teachers due to lack of Professional Development offered and swift decisions to turnaround schools.

Advice to Senior Management

Before turning around schools I recommend investing time and money in admin and PD of poorly performing schools as soon as they begin performing poorly.

Pros

DPS is a great place to get experience in settings that you won't see in other school districts. It is easy to find a job, especially if you are going through an alternative licensure program.

Cons

Too many teachers are burned out and retired on the job years ago. Administration has no backbone, and allows behavior that I would have never imagined before working in the schools. Kids move between schools a lot. The Pro-Comp system is a joke, and is gamed just like anything else in education.

Advice to Senior Management

You know the difference between right and wrong. Start expecting your teachers to act like professionals. You know what real academic progress looks like. Start expecting your students to grow into successful citizens.