The Quest for Equity: Daniel Archuleta’s Mission to Lift Up Underserved Communities

Empowered Learning Podcast

Daniel Archuleta

Description:

Daniel shares his personal background and mission to strive for equity and help underserved communities, which was reinforced by his father's dedication to learning and people. He talks about his career journey, including his work in education reform and strategic management, and how it allowed him to conceptualize an innovative way of managing declining enrollment in school districts through community impact. During the episode, Daniel discusses how his team analyzed data to understand the reasons behind declining enrollment in Colorado districts. They found that population shifts were the main cause and used a map to illustrate the issue. The data shows that this was a statewide issue and the roots of these changes varied widely across the state and nationally due to factors such as low birth rates, gentrification, racism, and changes in the micro and macro economies. The team's findings highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to address declining enrollment in the district and beyond.

Bio:

Daniel has 20 years of experience working in the education and nonprofit sectors. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Regis University, was a co-founder of a nonprofit supporting the success of students with disabilities and is the former Manager of Strategy and Accountability at Adams 14. He has served Colorado youth more broadly and holistically at two collective impact organizations, Rocky Mountain Partnership and Denver Metro Community Impact, where he held the roles of Data Director and Director of Operations, respectively. Currently, his company, Surpassing Distinction, is working on a project of the heart. He is here to talk with us about a model to innovate the management of declining enrollment in school districts through community impact.

My ancestors, Spanish explorers and conquistadors, violently colonized the ancestral lands of the Anasazi, the lands of the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Shoshone, and Ute nations. While I am not proud of this history, it is a reason I fight for equity. The Archuletas settled in what was northern Mexico, then, following the Mexican-American War, it would eventually become Colorado. Archuleta remains a county along the southern border of the state. One might think that having a county as a namesake would secure a legacy of privilege, but a long history of discrimination led to poverty and generational trauma for my family.
My father was raised on the streets of Denver and attended Manual High School. He made the best of rare opportunities and attended CU Boulder, becoming a founding member of UMAS. He went on to launch several nonprofit organizations providing opportunities to the underprivileged.
This instilled in me a passion for learning and the purpose of serving vulnerable communities. As a result, I excelled in school, and when I graduated from Adams City High School, one of the lowest performing schools in one of the lowest performing districts, I gave the concluding speech and advocated for education reform. I received a full-ride, academic scholarship to MSU where I published two anthological works on Chicano topics, which were used as textbooks in the Chicano Studies curriculum. After graduation, I went to work for Regis University where my MBA in Strategic Management was paid through a tuition benefit program.
I have spent twenty years gaining knowledge and honing skills to better fulfill my purpose. I developed processes and systems to lift student group performance in Cherry Creek and Adams 14. I served the needs of students with disabilities when I co-founded the nonprofit, IDEAS, Inc. I have volunteered and sat on several committees and boards advocating for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. I have lifted Black and Brown, LGBTQ+, and Spanish-speaking voices at Rocky Mountain Partnership and Denver Metro Community Impact.
In 2017, I founded Surpassing Distinction to promote my independent work serving Colorado students through contracts with Adams 14, the Colorado Association of School Executives, and Denver Public Schools. This work grew into serving Colorado youth more broadly and holistically through contracts with two collective impact organizations, Rocky Mountain Partnership and Denver Metro Community Impact, where I was hired as the Data Director and Director of Operations, respectively. As my network and impact expanded, my vision for Surpassing Distinction grew as well.
In 2023, Surpassing Distinction was awarded a six-figure, sole-source contract to manage an urban school district's declining enrollment project. In the course of the work, Surpassing Distinction consulted with experts to explore the large-scale context of the problem. As a result, we developed a model that would innovate the management of declining enrollment through community impact. Further work in this area will require the development and implementation of a Proof of Concept. We are in the process of securing one pilot school and full proof-of-concept funding.

Connect with Daniel:

https://www.surpassingdistinction.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/surpassingdistinction/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-archuleta/