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Reimagining High School

What is Reimagining High School?

Jeffco recognizes that the futures our students are preparing for require different skills and experiences than the generations that came before them.

Today's students have experienced large-scale shifts in economic, social and political dynamics that influence their lives and the world in which they live. They have also witnessed the emergence of new technologies that have the potential to transform the world of work at an even greater pace. 

It is imperative that Jeffco’s high school experience is preparing students to thrive in their lives after graduation. The Reimagining High School initiative works to build a community and a collaborative vision for the knowledge, skills and experiences we want high school students to have when they graduate.

Video Spotlight

Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Kym Leblanc-Esparza explains what it means to Reimagine High School and Jeffco high school seniors discuss what they want from high school in order to feel that they are ready for life after graduation.

Reimagining High School Process

Step 1: Community Engagement. We want to understand what our community believes are the knowledge, skills and experiences high school students need to thrive in their lives after graduation. In Spring 2023, we hosted discussions with students, families, teachers, principals, community & business partners and more to gather this crucial input. 

Step 2: Crafting a shared vision. High school principals will gather in July to use community input as an anchor point as they craft agreements about what types of experiences and skills all Jeffco students should have before they graduate high school. 

Step 3: Reconnect with community and educational leadership stakeholders and begin planning. In continued partnership, we will begin to design the work to realize this shared aspirational vision for the high school experience in Jeffco. This will include examining what great things we should keep doing, what we want to do more of, and what new ideas we could put into place and by when.

Engaging with the Jeffco Community

We are committed to understanding what the Jeffco community believes high school students should know, be able to do and experience before they graduate. There will be ongoing discussion as this work unfolds in the coming years.

Community Engagement Schedule

  • February 24-28: In-depth interviews with current high school students 
  • March 7: Facilitated discussion with high school & middle school principals and district leaders
  • March 8: Breakfast conversation with business leaders, Jeffco Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the Arvada Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Succeeds
  • March 9: Facilitated discussion with more than 80 high school students at the Student Voice Conference
  • April 18 & 22: Facilitated discussion with community members, including PTA & SAC members and those who participated in strategic planning discussions as part of the Jeffco Thrives Alliance
  • April 24: Facilitated discussion with members of the District Accountability Committee
  • April 28: Facilitated discussion with teachers from high school, middle school, K8 and elementary schools
  • May 9: Facilitated discussion with elementary and K-8 principals
  • May: Focus groups with current high school students
  • May: Facilitated discussion with business leaders

Delivering on our Mission to Provide a World-Class Education

The District’s strategic plan, Jeffco Thrives 2025, outlines our vision to provide a world-class education that prepares all Jeffco students for bright and successful futures locally and globally. The first steps toward this vision are,

  1. Unpack what a bright and successful future locally and globally means; 
  2. Recognize that the futures our students are preparing for require different skills and experiences than the generations that came before them; 
  3. Use this information and context to identify what it will take for Jeffco to prepare its students accordingly.

This vision and subsequent steps will be used to inform and guide the process for the Reimagining High School initiative.

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