“The Authoritative Allocation of Values”

Late political scientist David Easton once defined politics as “the authoritative allocation of values.” More precisely, politics (in a representative democracy) is the system where one group or another gets to determine how society will operate and can compel adherence to their set of preferred values through laws, sanctions, and rewards. This authoritative allocation of […]

A Provocation on Equity

This morning, I kicked off a district training put on by the National Equity Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to examining and raising the issue of equity in schools. Here are my remarks to Jeffco school and system leaders. I want to start your day with a provocation. When we talk about equity, you hear […]

Taking the Next Steps on School Safety

On March 14, thousands of Jeffco students participated in a national school walkout effort related to the tragic incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As this protest also involved a political perspective associated with the gun-control issue, Jeffco Public Schools did not take a position or formally endorse the walkouts. However, […]

Keeping Jeffco Kids Safe

Since the terrible school shooting in Florida, many have asked me, “What does Jeffco Public Schools do to keep our students safe?” In the years since Columbine, we have learned a great deal about better securing our schools and Jeffco Public Schools has become a national leader in systems to safeguard students. While I am […]

A Solution for America’s School Shooting Crisis

In the wake of yet another horrific school shooting, the public debate re-opens about what we might do to prevent such tragedies in the future. Some responses are predictable. From one side, we get calls for greater gun regulation – limiting who has access to what kinds of firearms and placing limitations on the second […]