by PRP Group, on 05/03/2024
As the director of extended academic learning for Denver Public Schools, I was looking for a way to marry my current work of providing academic support for students with my previous work, which was in teacher development. The district had all of these paraprofessionals—who were great with students and had strong relationships with families—but who lacked training.
We decided to launch Acceleration Academies, which we call AAs. They are two-hour blocks after school that pair paraprofessionals who are receiving coaching and professional development with students who are significantly below grade level.