Context & Setting of Practicum
Larger area – Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado is comprised of the area between Denver, CO and Cheyenne, WY. It is divided up between Larimer County, which is west of I-25 and Weld County located on the east side of the interstate. There are three major cities located in the two counties: Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley. However, the most recently added, fasts-growing and up and coming cities is Windsor. As designated by “BizWest,” July 2012, the population in the Northern Colorado area grew more than 100,000 between 2000 and 2010. It is estimated to grow to more than 700,000 by 2020, and to top one million by 2035. The population demographic is approximately 83.2% White, 1% Black and African American, 2.1% Asian and Asian American, 1% American Indian and Native-born Alaskan, 3.9% some other race, and 8.8% Hispanic or Latino. There is an even distribution of men and women in the area with an average age of 36.4 years old. The unemployment rate is 5.0%. The majority of the jobs in the area are clean energy, health care, CSU employment, oil and gas and agriculture. The median household income was approximately $54,739 in 2010. Within the area there are approximately 28.9% households with children under the age of 18. Located in the Northern Colorado area there is three school districts: Poudre Valley, Thompson Valley R2-J and Park R3. Poudre Valley has an enrollment of 27,909, Thompson Valley has 16,042, and Park R3 has 1,139.
City of Fort Collins
The city of Fort Collins, located in Larimer County, is the largest city in the area with a population of 158,600 as recorded in 2013 by city-data. As stated on the Visitor Information Page on the city’s website,“If you are seeking the Colorado lifestyle and a community in which you can reinvent and reinvigorate yourself then Fort Collins is your city.” The city is home to Colorado State University, which is one of the top employers in Fort Collins. Another contributor to employment in Fort Collins, CO is Poudre Valley Health.
As a resident of the city I see constant growth and an increase in the population yearly. The median age within the city is 29.3 years old. More than half of the citizens in the city hold an education level of completing 4 or more years of college. There are nine public high schools and two private high schools. Throughout the city there are ten public elementary/middle schools and a total of ten private elementary/middle schools. The religious demographic within the city includes 59.3% non-affiliated, 18.8% Evangelical Protestant, 11.8% Catholic, 5.9% Mainline Protestant, 4.0% other, and 0.1% Orthodox. When I moved to the city of Fort Collins in 2010, it was a completely new experience in relation to living in Grand Junction, CO. I experienced more diversity in Fort Collins than I had living on the Western Slope. I am shocked by the lack of diversity when I look at the listed demographics within the city of Fort Collins.
Poudre School District
The Poudre School District is the largest district located in the city of Fort Collins. Their mission is, “Educate…Every Child, Every Day.” The vision of the district is, to support and inspire every child to think, to learn, to care and to graduate prepared to be successful in a changing world.” There was an enrollment of 29,053 students PK-12 as listed on the psdschools.org website for the 2014-2015 school year. Student demographics within the district were listed as 3.0% Asian and American Asian, 1.16%, Black and African American, 18.09% Hispanic and Latino, 73.79% White, and 3.41% two or more. The district has an incredible support system and a variety of assisted programs. Out of the 29,053 enrolled students during the 2014-2015 school year 33.71% participated in the free and/or reduced lunch, 7.81% were part of the special education program, 11.92% were enrolled in the gifted and talented program, and 7.84% were a part of the ELL program. The dropout rate in the district was 1.5% and the graduation rate in 2014 was 84%. I find it fascinating that 8.8 out of 10 graduates within the district completed at least one post-secondary class prior to their high school graduation. The other fact that left me speechless me was that the graduating class of 2015 collectively earned more than $44 million in scholarships. As I sifted through all the PSD information, I found myself pleasantly surprised by what I discovered. The district is supportive of the students as well as the instructors. In 2014, there was a total of 1,716 teachers teaching in the district with a collective average of twelve years teaching experience. Finally, as stated on the PSD website, the overall goal of the district is to “ensure that all students have a well-rounded education that prepares them to succeed in a changing world.”
Fossil Ridge High School
Fossil Ridge High School is the newest high school built in the Poudre School District. It was built using environmentally friendly materials and under the sustainable design guidelines. The school is a staggering 290,00 square feet and was built to encompass a “school-within-a-school.” It is divided up into three smaller teaching “houses,” which means the majority of the classrooms are separated by content. The freshmen lockers and counselors are located on the second floor, and all other lockers and counselors for sophomores thru seniors are located on the first floor. The school has access to extensive technological services with SmartBoards in every classroom and a one to one ratio of laptops distributed to every incoming freshman for them to use throughout their four years at the school. The school’s foundation is built on “Excellence, Everywhere” and their vision is for every student to graduate and become successful beyond the walls. RIDGENATION is their motto for culture and climate, meaning “Respect, Integrity, Determination, Gratitude, and Excellence.” I am most excited about the Rachel’s Challenge program at Fossil Ridge. They are the only high school in Northern Colorado with the four-year plan in which freshman are enrolled in an advisory program where they meet every Friday for their four years of high school. In this program they are assisted in academics, post-secondary planning and preparation, civic engagement and service training. The intention of the program is to “create a smaller-community feeling and a sense of belonging.” The school is by far one of the most financially prolific high schools in the district and Northern Colorado area. There are fifty-four clubs at Fossil Ridge and six out of the fifty-four are student led clubs (meaning, they do not receive any funding for the creation and sustainability of their club). There are also twenty-four different athletic teams available to both boys and girls.
9th Grade Composition and 11th Grade U.S. Literature and Composition
There are thirty-one students in 1st Period 11th Grade U.S. Literature and Composition (eight females and twenty-three males) and thirty-two students in 3rd Period 9th Grade Composition (twelve females and nineteen males). The demographic of the students in both classes is predominately White. There seems to be several students who are capable and intelligent, and I am unaware if any of the students are involved in any alternative programs such as needing an IEP, ELL, Gifted and Talented, etc.
The classroom is arranged in two rows of a large half-circle. The teacher’s desk is in the middle of the half-circle facing the back of the classroom. Students sit two per desk. The classroom also contains both a T.V. and a SmartBoard. All of the students in the class are equipped with an individual laptop where they can access several of the class assignments, assignment due dates, etc. through the school platform, Blackboard. The walls are bare and no student assignments are displayed. The only student contributions in the classroom are Christmas ornaments (from three years ago) hanging from the lights.
The teachers are segregated by content and have a desk located in a general teacher pod that is restricted by their teacher IDs. Most of the teachers do not have their own “homeroom” or classroom. Both of the classes I observe are located in the same room. However, this is not Mr. Sheen’s homeroom. He shares the classroom with another teacher.