Equity | Literacy | Integrity

Boulder Valley School District and the Equity Journey​

Question:  What do you mean by Equity in BVSD?

My definition and my goal would be to push the school system that has outcome equity for all students. My vision of this kind of school district would be one that defies prediction of a student’s success by factors like race, gender, socioeconomic status, or home language. Unfortunately, the gap in achievement has been stubborn and not truly narrowed in the last 30 years. What we are doing as a district is not working to close this gap.

My interests in making a lasting change would include:

  • Push the district to fully implement programs in literacy and numeracy and to remain focused on these for a period of time that would demonstrate results. This implementation fidelity across schools would truly measure success, because every school is implementing in a defined way.
  • Provide enrichment activities to students not able to access them in the summertime. This may include expanding community schools programming, or negotiating with local agencies to provide experiences outside of the school day. Further, this could include work and internship programs that could take the place of traditional teen employment options.
  • Assist students in accessing special programs like AP, IB, Engineering and a Bilingual program k-12.  Students who do not access these programs currently should at least have the option for specifically targeted tutoring. While graduation rates and 4-year completion rates are slowly rising across the state, and BVSD, tests like the ACT/SAT show that there is a marked difference in the achievement of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. As a former teacher, I can tell you why. The special programs cater to those who are of the majority language group, socio-economically advantaged and most likely white. These special programs have unwittingly created a tiered system of education. Not all high school graduates leave with an equal amount of skill. We must make sure that these special programs serve all our students. This would include helping our Charter schools achieve the same.
  • Expand access to community college dual enrollment programs (already in place), but target students who may not have access to a traditional college prep experience. This could include a 5-year plan.
  • Change the BVSD program involving the “Seal of Bilteracy” to recognize students other than those who take AP language courses, or who can pay for an assessment. Last year, BVSD reported that 532 students graduated with this distinction, but there are many more students who are actually bilingual. How do we help more students leave with this distinction?

Literacy

Question: Why is Literacy such an important focus?

Boulder Valley Schools graciously paid for me to receive training with the High Schools that Work program. The extensive work of the Southern Regional Educational Board was presented. Their data showed that increasing the amount of reading by 25 books over a students school career could add an entire year of learning in all academic areas, including Math. I was able to bring this new knowledge to Monarch High School and we engaged in a multiyear effort to reengage teens with reading. We weren’t able to change the trajectory of all students in our trial, but imagine a school system devoted to increasing literacy in every class?

“Far too many adolescents cannot read sufficiently well to succeed in school and future careers. Others have not been challenged to develop the levels of literacy they will need to be successful in college and career training. Why? Public schools generally do not teach reading after the elementary grades. Also, many states and school districts have not designed comprehensive programs to help struggling readers in the middle grades and high school catch up when they fall behind.”
—SREB Report of the Committee to Improve Reading and Writing in Middle and High Schools

 

 

Daily Camera Coverage of Reading Programs Deann Was Involved With

Boulder County Schools: Monarch High Issues Reading Challenge (link to DailyCamera site) PDF

Monarch High School Tops One Million Pages in Reading Challenge  (link to DailyCamera site) PDF

Deann’s Literacy Work at Monarch High School

Instructional Strategies Motivate and Engage Students in Deeper Learning 

Deann’s Reading Recommendations

Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer

Why Focus on Integrity?

The School Board has an important role in the leadership of a complicated school system. Operating with integrity means to me that I am willing to listen, and I am always interested in acting for the benefit of students and their daily, hourly leaders, their teachers. Many days in the classroom, a teacher will scarcely see another adult. The work is arduous, joyful and sometimes, lonely. Our teachers need to know that they have an important voice in our schools. They are the ones who will choose to enact or to ignore policy changes. Accordingly, teachers are the people who know how to struggle and how to struggle through with each student. Our integrity has to be centered on those who know about teaching and learning and students. As a former teacher, I will have integrity with the lessons learned over 30 years.

Additionally, I will have the integrity to do the hard work of reading and researching and questioning results, and asking new questions that help BVSD to move forward. 

Some people use the position of Board member as a way to move into the political arena, but to me serving the entire district is a great responsibility and the culmination of work in education.

I will have integrity with parents, knowing the sacrifices made and the love of each parent and child. We all want what is best for your student. 

Public schools are a tremendous part of our community, and the United States. I truly want our schools to be the best, and for each child to excel!

Contact Deann:
DeannforBVSD@gmail.com    •    720.340.8479 

© 2025 Deann Bucher for BVSD School Board