Background

Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College (MLK) was created from MLK Middle School in 2006. The middle school was nearly 20 years old, but had experienced consistently low academic achievement. As part of the DPS Revitalization Plan, the 6-8^th grade middle was transformed into a 6-12^th grade early college. The high school component was added one grade at a time and the first senior class graduated in May 2010.

Through an enormous cooperative effort between the administration, faculty, staff, students, parents and community partners, MLK has become a highly focused learning center pursuing new and innovative ways to acquire knowledge. The school provides students with a strong college-prep curriculum with extensive academic support and counseling; tuition-free, for-credit postsecondary courses offered through the Community College of Aurora; and structured internships organized around various “majors.” Early college high schools are designed to enhance educational achievement and opportunity for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This school, which gives students the opportunity to earn college credit while working toward their high school diplomas, certainly delivers on that promise.

Partnering to Prepare Urban Teachers

MLK Early College is one of the schools identified as an Urban Apprentice School, served by Metro State College's Urban Teacher Partnership. Over the past few years, MLK's teachers have served as cooperating teachers and professional mentors for secondary pre-service students conducting their field and student teaching experiences. Metro States's pre-service students in turn provide support to classroom teachers, reinforce instruction by teaching lessons, working with students in small groups and one-to-one, and assist at school events as needed.

School Community

Student Population: The school includes approximately 1145 students. Of these, 57 percent are Hispanic, 27 percent Black, 10.3 percent White, 4.5 percent Asian and less than 1 percent American Indian. Eighty percent of the student body is eligible for either the Federal free or reduced cost lunch.

Staff: There are 77 teachers at MLK, and the school has a teacher to student ratio of 1:21.

Parents/Community: MLK Early College enjoys strong parent support and benefits from significant partnerships with external stakeholders. MLK is the only school in Colorado selected to participate in College for Every Student (CFES), a national program that provides scholarships, mentoring and internship opportunities. As an academic partner, Community College of Aurora implements the Postsecondary Education Options program for MLK high school students by prioritizing needs, providing ACCUPLACER workshops and meeting with faculty to customize course offerings. The Foundation of Educational Excellence, funded by Oakwood Homes, has been a major friend of MLK. Volunteer and/or internship support has come from the Far Northeast Business Development Association, the Denver Scholarship Foundation, the DPS Foundation, Kaiser-Permanente and ProLogis.