DENVER — On Tuesday, Denver Public Schools released the long-awaited La Raza Report.
The nearly 300-page study takes a look at issues the Latino community faces within the school system and what DPS can do to help Latino students, parents and staff members.
The researchers used history, data and lived experiences from parents and students to come up with more than 30 recommendations.
"It requires no effort to be a critic. It requires a tremendous amount of effort to point that finger to yourselves as a system," DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero said. "There are some highlights and that cannot be disputed, but the gaps have been persistent."
The report found a number of needs including:
- Classes about Latino culture and history
- Resources
- More focus on safety and bullying
- A better connection for students and their culture
- Boost parental engagement
- Language challenges
- Managing cultural dissonance
"It was painful to hear, or read, I should say, the lived experience of some of our Latino students who, even amongst their Latino groups, really around the sense of belonging and lack of sense of belonging," Marrero said.
"Kids who had lost Spanish were embarrassed that they didn’t speak it. Kids who had just arrived and didn’t speak English were embarrassed because they couldn’t speak English. The kids who were the proudest were bilingual and biliterate," Kathy Escamilla, one of the researchers, said.
DPS plans to create a Latinx Student Success Team to address and implement the recommendations of the report. Marrero said they plan to announce the director of the success team in the coming weeks.
This week marks 55 years since the West High Walkout, a 1969 protest that called out mistreatment and racism in the classroom.
Some of those very issues were highlighted again in Tuesday's report.
"I think what was the most concerning was some of the issues that arose when I was a student and my 26-year-old son was a student exist today within our Latino community," DPS Board member Xóchitl "Sochi" Gaytán said.
Gaytán is a board member and also a parent of a DPS high school student.
"History repeats itself all the time, and what is it that we are going to do about it this time?" Gaytán said. "What risks and what actions we all as a community are willing to take to make the change this time around?"
This time around, leaders said they have the roadmap to make some historic changes. Many hope that holds true and this time, is the last time.
"'Equity,' which is plastered all over our school buildings, has remained elusive in our system, so when are we going to grab it?" Marrero said. "This is a monumental moment in our system. Let's not let it pass us."
The report was done before thousands of migrants enrolled in DPS schools. Marrero said they are looking into possibly creating a needs assessment of what those new-to-country students are dealing with.
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