In 2017, RMP leadership agreed to serve as a turnaround provider for Cesar Chavez Academy Denver (CCAD). CCAD had been struggling academically, receiving a red rating on the Denver Public Schools’ annual “report card”, known as the School Performance Framework (SPF) for a number of years. In a heroic feat of academic mastery from our students, RMP Berkeley moved from red (Accredited on Probation - the lowest measure) to green (Meets Expectations - the second-highest) on the SPF in just one year!
We are excited to reflect on and celebrate our top three learnings from RMP Berkeley’s first year:
1) Early and continued family and community engagement is essential
To achieve this exciting milestone, RMP Berkeley staff have taken an “all hands on deck” approach to building community around RMP’s unique rigorous and loving educational model. Prior to RMP Berkeley’s August 2018 launch, staff engaged in door-to-door conversations, coffee hours, community meetings, and collaboration with CCAD leadership, building strong and lasting relationships that built the foundation for RMP Berkeley to thrive.
2) A loving student and staff culture opens up a world of learning potential
Each day since opening, Berekely’s faculty and admin alike have poured their hearts into making every student feel welcomed and loved, while simultaneously challenging them to do their best. This important combination is what makes the RMP experience unique, and has led to RMP Berkeley’s tremendous progress over the past year. The foundation built in RMP Berkeley’s first year of operation also had an incredibly positive impact on adult culture, with an overall staff retention of 81%, including retaining 100% of RMP Berkeley’s front office and administrative teams.
3) Top educators drive success
RMP Berkeley’s amazing, innovative educators make waves every day by bringing love, compassion, and a deep belief that each of our students can and will succeed in the classroom. All RMP Berkeley teachers all have unique, yet equally effective ways of guiding their students toward academic growth and achievement. It is because of their powerful methods that RMP Berkeley is green on the SPF!
We are so proud of RMP Berkeley’s amazing growth thus far, and yet we know there is still work to be done on behalf of our students. This year, we are eager to refocus on our ELA curriculum and help our students continue to develop a deep love of reading.
With a continued emphasis on building community and pushing our students to hold themselves and their peers to high bars, we are confident we can continue to improve and build on our exciting successes from this past year!