Black Excellence in Denver Public Schools: Where It Stands and Why It Was Attacked on X

Back in 2019, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education passed a Black Excellence Resolution designed to improve the educational experience and outcomes for Black students in DPS. It was the result of "years of concern from families and communities," the district tells Westword, and a "collective response" to those concerns.

Don't look at the BER as a program with a set end date, explains Leslie Juniel, executive director of the DPS Culture, Learning and Development Team (CLD), which heads the efforts, but rather "a way of living" and "part of the DPS culture."

"All schools now have a Black Excellence Plan focused on improving the daily experiences of our students, families and team members," Juniel and the CLD team note.


"Disgusting racists," wrote conservative firebrand Megyn Kelly in response to a January 11 post by the right-wing account @EndWokeness on X, showing a DPS document titled "DPS Belief in and Commitment to Black Excellence." 

Disgusting racists. https://t.co/5RUGVdP0zX

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 12, 2024

The post was soon viewed by 1.8 million people, sparking backlash and callouts of DPS. The account claimed the "internal memo" had just been sent to DPS staff and teachers.

But according to DPS Communications Director Scott Pribble, it's a public document that dates back to when the BER was adopted five years ago. "The document is from a long time ago," Pribble says.

Describing it as a "Black Excellence Pledge," @EndWokeness claimed the document says "all whites are racist and perpetuate racist ideologies, policies, & practices."

What it actually says is this: "All educators need to deeply understand white supremacy, white privilege and the prevalence and deep harm 'whiteness' brings to students and staff." The document also states that DPS staffers must acknowledge that "institutional racism exists in Denver Public Schools, and at all levels." And if they think "I am not a racist," they are instructed to refer back to a quote from author Robin Diangello: "It is not if you are racist, but how you are racist."

The document adds, "We all perpetuate racist ideologies, policies and practices in some way and must work tirelessly in our efforts to be anti-racist."

Why would this document upset people?

"You'd have to ask a white person or anybody else who would be resistant to this why they are that," Juniel says. "Because who is against lifting up students? Who is against students achieving and having a future and being supported to be successful? Who is against that? I would ask those people to think about why they are, beyond the surface of what politics and culture wars are happening. These are people's lives. This work is life and death, literally and figuratively. So I don't know who would be against that, but I would ask them to dig deep and figure out why."

The outraged responses from talking heads like Kelly just comes with the territory, Juniel says: "The work has been made toxic because it's been politicized."

Much of the recent outrage has focused on what critics claim is a lifting of Black students and "racist" disregard for white students — a claim that Juniel and other DPS leaders have heard for years, even before the BER was a thing.

"School leaders were being asked questions such as, 'Why are we focused on Black kids?'" recalls Michael Sykes, director of the DPS Culture, Equity and Leadership Team (one of three groups that make up the CLD). "And that is a really triggering question, especially for Black parents and family members."

One of the BER's big wins, says Juniel, is that these sorts of questions don't come up as much anymore. "You can see, it has had a significant impact," she adds. "People have begun to understand why there is a focus."

Still, reports have emerged over the years since the BER was adopted that DPS students are still experiencing microaggressions and incidents that make them feel uncomfortable, along with being underrepresented in honors and AP classes at certain schools.

Then there's the data. "It speaks for itself," according to the CLD team.

"We continue to see disproportionate numbers of Black students over-referred to discipline and special education, yet under-referred to rigorous learning opportunities such as AP and gifted and talented," the CLD team tells Westword. "It is important that we continue the Black Excellence Resolution work, because it puts a laser focus on this reality, and to not address it or ignore it would be educational malpractice on our part."
One way that DPS has been trying to mitigate this is by the formation of the Black Student Success Team, which was unveiled last October 2023 and is aimed at "increasing Black student achievement and highlighting Black Student successes in DPS schools," the CLD team says.

DPS is working with researchers from the University of Denver to identify district practices that might help improve a Black student's trajectory in school; while the project is still in the "discovery phase," things are expected to pick up later this year.

"The strategic work and focus on Black students within these schools is set to begin in August of the 2024-2025 school year," says Michael Atkins, director of the Black Student Success Team and former principal at Stedman Elementary. "We are looking forward to DU sharing their findings and helping us identify trends."

Some of the specific things the team will be looking to improve include the graduation rates of Black students, grade-level performance, enrollment in "rigorous classes" and the feeling of safety and support in the DPS school system, according to CLD leaders.

For the BER, the team says it is continuing to provide "learning opportunities for our team members for reflection on mindsets and behaviors that perpetuate systems of oppression, the impact it has on others and how to pivot/adjust." Its message to white people who can't find it in their hearts to support Black Excellence in Denver Public Schools: "Why?"

"It is unclear to us why anyone would be resistant to the work of cultivating the very best academic experience we can for students who have for too long been invisible and underserved," the CLD team says. "We know that when we design systems, structures and practices for those who are most marginalized, all students benefit."

Juniel points to the "Curb Effect" — where one intended change or effort, such as ADA-accessible sidewalks, ends up helping out society as a whole — as an example DPS has been using to try and get this point across.

"When we design for the students who are not doing as well as others, we design for success for all students," she says. "When people started making curbs where they'd be ADA-accessible, it was originally designed for wheelchairs. But guess who else benefits from it? Strollers, runners, skateboarders. So when you design for a population, which is the right thing to do, other people benefit from it."

While its efforts and intentions may be spread out methodically, the school district has just one main goal in the long run: making Black students feel validated and seen.

"That's what humanity is supposed to do," Sykes says. "And I think by lifting Black excellence — and I would say 'lifting Black excellence, too,' not de-centering other communities or other students — it's really about supporting people and making people more aware that we are here, too, and deserve to be seen, and we deserve to be valued. And normalizing that in ways that a Black student's trajectory isn't predicted — to say like, 'I can predict Black students' experience in the educational system, period' — is important. Those predictive factors shouldn't happen just because of the color of someone's skin."