"The goal of this report and reform plan is to improve North High School and make it a school of excellence for all students. We want North to give its students a high quality education that prepares us to graduate and to be successful in college and our careers. We want “Excellence is Expected”, our school motto, to be believed in and acted upon by teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members. We want incoming generations to feel proud of the education they are receiving at North, and we want all North students to learn, to graduate, and to have the chance to go to college.

For these reasons, Jovenes Unidos conducted research on North High School and developed a Plan of Reform from the spring of 2002 through the fall of 2003. We surveyed 700 North students, collected school district data, and visited a high-performing Denver area high school – all to gain a deeper understanding of why so few North students are achieving at high academic levels, graduating, or going on to college.

We are presenting this report to outline the issues at North that must be addressed in order for educational opportunities to improve for all students. In this report we will present: 1) the results of our student survey, 2) educational research on the key components for high achievement, and 3) our proposals for making North a school of excellence. As North High School students, we believe that the work to reform our school must begin now – our education and our futures are on the line. We applaud the two most recent North High principals who have started to address the problems at North. We look forward to participating in an open and inclusive reform process, so that students, parents, and community can work collaboratively with the school and district to make North High a school of academic excellence."