Denver school board divided: Will providing more data empower families or drive competition?

Chalkbeat Colorado: Parents in Denver could end up with easy access to a host of information about their children’s schools, from how many students were suspended to whether the buses ran on time. Or they could end up with a simplified version of what exists now: a school rating system that largely relies on standardized test scores.

A year after a committee set out to reimagine Denver Public Schools’ controversial school rating system, the Denver school board is divided over the next steps. The decision represents a test of how a new board majority will approach school choice policy in a district that has long prided itself on making it easy for parents to choose.

At the heart of the debate is whether information empowers parents or fosters unhealthy competition and comparison among schools.

“What I’m worried about is how parents could weaponize this data,” said school board member Scott Baldermann, who represents southeast Denver.

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