New Investment Accelerates Success for Mapleton Students

MAPLETON, Colo. -- Mapleton Public Schools today announced an investment of more than $2.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance its ongoing efforts to improve high school graduation and college-readiness rates. The investment will provide further support for the district’s progress in transforming Skyview High School into six high-quality smaller high schools and learning communities, giving all Mapleton students a range of excellent options designed to prepare them for success in college and work.

Working with the Colorado Children’s Campaign, Mapleton Public Schools will utilize the investment to provide additional professional development for educators, improve support from the school district to implement reforms more effectively in schools and classrooms, and strengthen community involvement in the education reform process. Four national school developers will continue to work with the schools to ensure they provide all students with a rigorous, relevant and personalized education. The district aims to raise the graduation rate from 59 percent to 90 percent by 2009 and assure that students are prepared for college and the workplace.
 
“Academic excellence for every student has become a requirement for our community, which intends to thrive in this challenging new economy,” said Mapleton Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio. “While we have made progress, we are not satisfied. We are determined in Mapleton to see every student succeed, and we are determined to direct our efforts and our resources to these innovative reforms that work for our young people.”

When Mapleton began planning its Small by Design initiative in 2001, Skyview High, like many urban high schools across the nation, struggled with low student achievement. Too many young people, particularly disadvantaged and low-income students were leaving high school unprepared for college or the workplace. In 2004, about 40 percent of Mapleton’s students didn’t graduate from the district after attending four years of high school.

With strong community support and the assistance of additional partners, the district has made progress in helping all students achieve at higher levels. Currently, all of the district’s freshmen and sophomores attend one of the six smaller high schools. National school developers, including the Big Picture Company, the New Technology Foundation, the Coalition of Essential Schools, and Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound are working closely with the schools to enhance the curriculum, improve instruction, and provide more personalized support for students.

Through school developer partners and the Colorado Small Schools Initiative, the foundation has invested more than $1 million in programs that are working to increase graduation and college readiness rates in Mapleton. Other partners in this effort include Colorado’s Public Education and Business Coalition, the Rose Foundation, Mapleton Education Foundation, the Philanthropic Education Foundation, and College Summit. As part of this effort, more teachers and administrators will be able to participate in professional development activities to improve school operations and instruction; the school district will strengthen its operations and structure to provide better support to schools as they implement the reforms; and enhanced community outreach efforts to involve more partners – including parents, educators, business leaders, and others – in school improvements.

“Mapleton has made great strides in creating high-quality learning environments that foster achievement for every student,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The community has made it a top priority to provide a range of options for smaller, high-quality high schools, better instruction, more parental involvement, and stronger support from the school district, which is the framework for a successful reform effort that will prepare all students for success in college and work.”

A district of about 6,000 students, Mapleton intends to expand its high school redesign efforts to all grade levels, ultimately transforming into a system of high-quality small schools to give families a wide range of high-quality education options. The K-8 portion of the transformation is scheduled to begin next fall.

To date, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested about $1 billion on efforts to improve the nation’s high school system, including supporting the creation of more than 1,900 high-quality high schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. As of this fall, more than 550 of these new and transformed high schools had opened around the country.

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Mapleton Public Schools (www.mapleton.us) serves nearly 6,000 Kindergarten - 12th grade students from suburban, rural, and light industrial communities. The mission of the school, educating a diverse population of students, is to "guarantee that each student achieves his or her dreams and contributes enthusiastically to his or her community and world." Mapleton schools are currently implementing a district wide reinvention to smaller learning environments to help fulfill that mission.