Denver, CO -- The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced that Denver Public Schools will receive a $4.6 million grant—the Foundation’s single largest Performance Management grant to date on a per-student basis—to fund the second phase of critical Performance Management and accountability work aimed at boosting student achievement.

Janet Mountain, the Executive Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, calls DPS “a go-to district” for evidence of leading Performance Management implementation practices, citing its implementation of a school-performance framework, merit-based pay for teachers and principals, data systems and central office performance management efforts.

“We expect to see more great work from DPS over the next 18 months,” Mountain said.

Specific ways the grant will support DPS’ Performance Management effort include:

• Providing teachers a central place online to get timely and accurate data and curriculum, saving teachers time and enabling clearer connections between data and instructional tools
• Giving principals access to results from interim assessments and curriculum online
• Improving business processes and continuing to ensure data accuracy across the board

The grant will support DPS’ Performance Management initiative, which is aimed at accelerating student achievement, high school graduation and college readiness.

“This grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation will put critical tools in the hands of our educators to help them sharpen their instructional strategies and drive student achievement," DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said. "This is a tremendous investment in empowering our teachers, and we're extremely grateful to the foundation for its support."

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation grant will fund the district’s Digital Doors project, which consists of teacher and administrator portals that serve as online clearinghouses for timely and accurate data that teachers and principals will use to improve instruction and that the district will use to improve operational efficiency. Additionally, the grant will fund intentional and strategic efforts to monitor employee performance and link the daily work of central office staff to student achievement.