Institute for Technology Development

Community Mapping on Colorado's Front Range

December 04, 2003 by Annie Richman

The Community Mapping Program is making waves on the Front Range of Colorado thanks to a Perkins Tech Prep grant awarded to Denver Public Schools (DPS), in collaboration with the Community Mapping Program and Front Range Community College . The Perkins grant provides federal funds to support high school students' enrollment in college-level technology courses that satisfy the employment needs of industry partners.

DPS is using the funds to train staff and purchase GIS equipment so that teachers in seven middle and high schools can engage students in Community Mapping projects. In turn, these students are becoming well-equipped for enrollment in college-level GIS courses. "The Front Range of Colorado is a hot-bed for the GIS industry," explains Robb Menzies, GIS Specialist for DPS. "We are poised to offer DPS students cutting-edge GIS courses that will lead to high-paying jobs. Community Mapping courses are the linchpin in our GIS teacher training." DPS also recognizes that Community Mapping projects teach far more than GIS skills, and understands their value in addressing standards-based learning outcomes such as problem solving and critical thinking. As a result, the district is working to fully integrate the Community Mapping Program into its Geography and Social Studies curricula, thereby creating an exciting model for Community Mapping's application in a large public school system.

Not surprisingly, many DPS teachers are excited about this new district-wide initative. One such teacher is Amanda Gierow, a Social Studies and Geography teacher at Denver's alternative P.S. 1 charter high school. Amanda and her students are in the beginning phases of a mapping project that pairs them with the Safety Office of Policy Analysis for the city and county of Denver. Stemming from students' interest in crime statistics, their project will look at geocoded and ungeocoded car break-in information from downtown Denver. Using field observation and aerial photography, Amanda's class will identify the types of areas where cars are being broken into, and will determine hot spots for the downtown area. The students will use this data to create a risk assessment of each high-theft area, looking at such factors as available lighting, cameras, and security. In the end, Amanda hopes her students will produce some highly accurate and detailed maps for the city. In the process, her students will no doubt gain a myriad of skills, along with a stronger connection to their city and an understanding of the ways they can contribute to its health.

In the course of her project, Amanda is also helping pilot a new set of evaluation tools developed by the Community Mapping Program. These tools will evaluate how mapping projects affect student achievement, especially in relation to national Geography, Science, and Technology standards. The evaluation tools also measure students' community perceptions and civic engagement. This data will help The Orton Family Foundation communicate to school administrators, foundations, and communities the value of place-based education programs such as Community Mapping. The data will also help the Community Mapping Program refine and improve the training and support it provides to teachers.

This article was submitted by Annie Richman.

Annie Richman manages the CM evaluation process in the western states in conjunction with a national evaluation effort known as Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative. She works with school administrators, teachers, and students to explain the evaluation process and tools, modify them as needed, and coordinate data analysis. She is also helping teachers design mapping projects that meet their academic goals as well as community needs, and is supporting teachers' efforts to integrate mapping projects into their curricula. "Teachers are excited about the evaluation process," explains Annie. "They know that Community Mapping projects 'work,' and they welcome tools that will provide the hard data to prove it."