A+ Colorado

A+ Colorado was originally founded as A+ Denver in 2006 at the urging of Denver Public Schools’ then-Superintendent Michael Bennet and former Denver Mayors Federico Peña and Wellington Webb. It was chartered as an independent, citizen-based organization working to make Denver Public Schools a district characterized by excellence. A+ was originally comprised of more than 100 citizen leaders, including community and business leaders, parents and representatives from local foundations and higher education. These citizens worked on our initial three committees to consider district conditions and performance and recommend improvements. In August of 2011, A+ Denver transformed into an “action tank,” focusing on evaluating and advocating for district-level decisions, policies, and approaches to impact student achievement primarily in Denver Public Schools. In the summer of 2015, we officially expanded our scope to include other Metro area districts serving high-needs student populations. This expansion is driven by an understanding of the impact we can have on other districts to better serve students, particularly as many low-income DPS students and DPS students of color are moving from the gentrifying city center. As part of this expansion, A+ Denver officially reorganized as A+ Colorado to reflect our broadening scope of work and our expanded partnerships. Colorado Nonprofit Development Center continues to serve as our fiscal sponsor.