In the middle of July, education news and conversation tends to be slow. If they’re like me, people are more interested in the baseball All-Star game or in just hanging out at the beach. That’s why all I’m going to do today is bring your attention to an article in the Sunday Denver Post titled “Denver metro districts enroll diversity”.

Reflecting larger demographic trends, Denver Public Schools has started enrolling a greater share of white students in the past 8 years. Meanwhile, every other district in the metro area has taken on more racial minorities — with Mapleton, Westminster, and Sheridan registering gains in minority student enrollment of 20 percentage points or more. Commerce City, Englewood, Cherry Creek, and Aurora have also made significant shifts in the same direction.

What does it all mean for education policy?

While this information is just one piece of the puzzle, it should stir some interesting conversations. But by itself, the color of a kid’s skin doesn’t matter. I’m glad to grow up in a world where you can be red, yellow, black, brown or white, and rise or fall on your own merits. Where you get equal opportunity for extra help based on your individual need, and are treated with the respect you earn based on your actions and character.

Is our society perfect? No. But in this regard, I’m much happier to be living now than 50 years ago.

For those of you interested in something a little more intellectually engaging, may I recommend you skip on over to the Eduwonk for guest blogger Curtis Johnson’s explanation of “Innovation — the more the term is used the less it seems to mean”.