The purpose of Education & Community is to support the involvement of individuals and organizations in public education policy, research, and practice. We will hear community perspectives about public education practices and policies. And then we will use that input to influence legislators, school board members, and education leaders in order to ensure that education decisions are informed by the communities that they are intended to serve.
About Us
Education and community nonprofit
Education & Community was born in 2019 because the Denver Public Schools needed to hear from the communities they serve, which are made up of 70 percent students of color. The main purpose is to debunk the notion that Black and Latino kids need to be bussed into and integrated into predominantly White schools in order to receive a quality education. The basis for the integration theory is the decision in the 1954 case of Brown vs. Board of Education by the Supreme Court which addressed desegregation and school integration.
Who We Are
Antwan Jefferson
Board Member
Husband of a DPS principal. Father of two DPS-enrolled students. Former DPS teacher. Nearly 20-year Denver resident. Clinical Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Relations (HDFR) in the School of Education and Human Development at CU Denver. Founder of Denver Journal of Education and Community. DJEC Editor in Chief.
Richard Rhodes
Board Member
Richard is the Chief Executive and Creative Officer of RNR Creative Enterprises and Founder of The Collective Social Enterprises. He has more than 20 years of experience creating, developing, and implementing brands and integrated strategic communications to advance organizational identity.
Richard Maez
Board Member
Richard serves as Director of Programs for Ednium: The Alumni Collective. Ednium is an action focused, community development organization that partners with public school alumni 30 and younger to change the way the city of Denver educates and re-invests in its homegrown talent.
Steve Selby
Board Member
Steve brings over 28 years of information systems leadership working in higher education, government, Fortune 500, and not-for-profit organizations. He delights in the transformational use of technology to improve organizational performance. Steve holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado – Boulder.
Spencer Childress
Co-Executive Director
Dr. Childress is the director of the Denver Journal of Education and Community. Dr. Childress has worked in public education for ten years, including eight in his current role as a school counselor. He finished his dissertation on ethnic-racial socialization in school settings in May of 2021. He believes in an education that centers on community, dignity, and love. He is a lover of books, basketball, and music.
Dara Marin Prais
Research & Data Director
Dara Marin Prais has a Ph.D. in Educational Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, and brings with her a diverse teaching and educational background. She began her career in education as a classroom educator for over 10 years, teaching both K-12 special education and elementary general education across the Denver metro area. She then earned a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, with specific expertise in assessment design, analysis, and interpretation. While completing her doctorate, she taught research methodology and statistical analysis courses at the graduate level. As a person of color, she’s passionate about utilizing her experience and expertise to leverage the full capacity of research and data to meet the needs of diverse communities to make impactful changes.
Shanta Johnson
Editorial Board Member
Mother of DPS middle schooler. Raised in APS. Former DPS educator for seven years. Former ECE Educator for over 15 years. Survivor and thriver over homelessness with a Masters of Educational Administrative Leadership. Director of Family and Community Vitality for Adams County Housing Authority.
Ali M. Larson
Editorial Board Member
Ali Larson currently serves as a Family and Community Liaison in Denver Public Schools. She has a background in government, politics, and education, with a passion for community activism. She served on the Washington, DC staff of a US Senator before returning to Denver to work for a philanthropic organization whose interests included issues from early childhood education to recovery from substance abuse. She went on to receive her teaching license through the University of Colorado at Denver’s Graduate Urban Community Teacher Education Program and taught social studies to students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools.
Elijah Huff
Editorial Board Member
Elijah Huff was born and raised in the Five Points community in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Manual High School before earning his bachelor’s degree at Fort Lewis College. Elijah was led to community work after the passing of a close friend due to gang violence during his freshman year of college. His desire to be a mentor who could help youth avoid the same fate led him to the education sector. Elijah serves as a College Advisor for the College Access Program at Bruce Randolph High School. He also serves as a street team member for Ednium: The Alumni Collective. Everyday he looks forward to helping youth use education to help them discover their inner brilliance and life purpose. In his free time he enjoys watching sports and coaching boys high school sports.
Lameese Makkawi
Editorial Board Member
Lameese Makkawi (She/Her) is a community leader and activist from Aurora, Colorado. She was a part of both her school and district’s student advisory boards. As well as founder and president of her school’s Racial Equity club. She was also a co-chair for our past annual Youth Celebrate Diversity conference along with more. She has fought for equity and inclusion since she could remember and has never been scared to be challenged by the adults in her life when it came to rejecting respectability politics. She believes each and every person should never be robbed of a right to be their authentic selves. She is now attending university and figuring out what career she’d like to pursue by learning about all aspects of social change and inclusion.
Our Partners
Marketplace Solutions
The Education and Community Collective will be our enterprise entity responsible for bringing innovative solutions and products to the marketplace to sustain the nonprofit’s overall mission.