I stepped into the school and immediately knew something was different. As I walked down the quiet hallway, college banners hung over each doorway. My guide took me into a big meeting room and a few seconds later, excited students rushed into the room led by their teachers. The students looked like students in our neighborhood. They were Latino, yet there was a difference in their attitudes that was palpable. The lead teacher led them through a rousing activity and I could tell that each student was engaged in what was happening. After the rally, students headed back to the classroom and I was left wondering what I had just experienced.

These students were the same as those who attend Wheat Ridge Middle School, yet in many ways they were different. The culture seemed to breed success. What was so different about this school?

The school that I toured is just down the road from Edgewater. It was Strive Prep-Excel on the North High Campus.

Some of you just cringed when you read the name “Strive Prep.” Charter schools like Strive Prep do not bring up good feelings in your soul. You mourn the privatization of education as an attack on our education system.

Others of you perked up because you believe that Strive Prep and other schools like it offer hope in fixing what you believe is a fundamentally broken education system.

There are elements of truth in both sides of this debate.

We each come to the table with a set of assumptions and beliefs based on our experiences.

I am a newbie when it comes to working in the public education sphere. I am still learning how education systems work and how change happens.

But one thing that has surprised me is how well formed the battle lines are and how quickly people write off success from the enemy side.

Especially in Jeffco there are strong reactions to charter schools on one side and the union on the other side.

I came into the education world with my own set of assumptions. I root for my neighborhood public schools to a fault. It is a daily battle to assume positive intent and keep an open mind.

After our Community Partners meeting last week, I realized that one of our biggest hurdles in this collective impact work is keeping an open mind.

How do we look for best practices, wherever they might be, even if they are in a charter school like Strive Prep?

How do we challenge the system without blaming teachers and staff?

How do we discern root causes of poverty without attacking parents?

The challenge before us is great. TCAP test results came out last week and 46% of 8th graders at Wheat Ridge Middle School are unsatisfactory in math and 31% are partially proficient. That means that 77% of the students who today are starting high school are behind in math.

To overcome these challenges in our area, we will all need to overcome differences in opinion and work together so each of these children can succeed through school, into college and ultimately a career.

It begins by having an open mind to what works in helping children learn, grow and develop.