Anyone who thinks it's impossible to transform a large, urban school district under democratic control has to contend with Denver Public Schools. District leaders embraced a "portfolio strategy," of charters, choice and greater autonomy for district schools. How they transformed the district — and then stood for re-election and lived to tell about it — is the subject of  David Osborn's latest article in Education Next.

Over the past decade, Denver closed or replaced 48 struggling schools. The district's 55 charters and 38 "innovation schools" (schools controlled by the district that enjoy some charter-like autonomy) educate nearly one-third of its students. More importantly, student achievement for black and Hispanic students has risen faster in Denver than the statewide average in Colorado.

Under the portfolio strategy, districts manage pluralistic school systems that "give parents choices among the schools while working to replicate successful schools and replace failing ones," writes Osborn, a researcher at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Reform began in 2005, when the school board chose Michael Bennet to take the helm of a dysfunctional and struggling school district that was losing students to private schools and nearby suburbs. Bennet knew he needed outside pressure to shake up the system. Charter schools appeared to be the answer, but the district had only 17, and a powerful teachers union that opposed opening any more. (more…)