View Resource: Multi-School Rubric
Denver Public Schools uses this rubric to guide new school applications and existing operations of school organizations that oversee more than one school site. This tool is particularly useful when schools are applying to replicate their program, whether or not the replication site is a restart or fresh start. The indicators on the rubric are designed to address those specific aspects of governance, oversight and organizational capacity that should be in place for a school operator to oversee multiple sites. One unique feature of the school landscape in Denver is that there are both charter and district-run operators who oversee multiple sites of their established school model. The rubric supplements a larger comprehensive School Quality Framework that evaluates a quality school design and implementation in Denver.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned: Denver has implemented this approach in recognition of the fact that the health of the multi-site operator is a foundation to the sustainability of each individual school site. Denver uses this rubric because it has learned that the potential quality of a new school site depends in part on the capacity of the operator to support coordination and consistent quality across multiple sites, where applicable. Over time, the multi-school rubric has been adapted to work across both charter and district-run schools. Because of the Colorado innovation laws, district-run schools can operate with many of the same freedoms as charter schools while still functioning as part of the school district. Therefore, Denver has had to create authorizing practices that span both charter and district-run schools.
Related Resource:
Multi-School Evaluation Approach