About TEN
The mission of Transform Education Now is to partner with parents in order to build the skills and capacity of communities to ensure access to a world class education for all students in the Denver Metro Area. Through transparent school quality data, leadership development and strategic partnerships we will challenge the status quo with communities to demand high quality schools in all neighborhoods.
Our Mission
The mission of Transform Education Now is to partner with parents in order to build the skills and capacity of communities to ensure access to a world class education for all students across olorado . Through transparent school quality data, leadership development and strategic partnerships we will challenge the status quo with communities to demand high quality schools in all neighborhoods.
Our Vision
All children have the right to a high quality public education
TEN recognizes that access to high quality education is a fundamental right of all people. Education systems have been unequal and ineffective across our state for too long. T EN exists to change that system by partnering with parents, students, community leaders, charter providers, local school districts and elected officials. We will build power with communities to demand increased and new access to high quality schools across Colorado in every neighborhood.
Guiding Principles
-
- Parents are partners in this work.
- This movement must be led by those most impacted.
- We will dismantle broken systems with compassion and recognition of history and legacy.
- We believe true choice cannot exist without additional high quality seats.
- We want what is best for all children and recognize a sense of urgency to transform schools.
- Our work is an exercise in power, our role is to create power where historically power has been denied. As such, we will partner with a broad variety of stakeholders, partners, and co-conspirators to strive towards educational justice in a variety of settings including schools, districts, and various state level decision making bodies.
2025 Campaign Goals
Because 60% of Colorado kids can’t do math or read on grade level and because the State of Educational Opportunity found that only 40% of families are satisfied with their child’s school, in 2025 Transform Education Now will continue to prioritize expanding access to high quality school options across the state. Additionally, the team is concerned over the fact that only a third of low-income families are satisfied with their school and will bring a coalition together over transportation to lay the groundwork for a policy push in 2026.
Low-income families in Colorado have expressed a strong desire in the State of Educational Opportunity for increased tutoring, afterschool and summer programming. Building on the success of Denver’s MySpark initiative, Transform Education Now will work to expand the program beyond the Mile-High City, providing direct payments to low-income families to access these opportunities.
With concerning findings of only 35% of Coloradans reporting they are very satisfied with how schools are supporting their children’s mental health, and a ranking near the bottom of the country for the percent attending meetings at school, Transform Education Now will lead a coalition to understand how mental health plays out in schools and classrooms and its relationship to the school-to-prison pipeline.
Our Team
TEN is, ultimately, about people. We are working to build an organization where talented advocates are able to do the best work of their lives in a culture that supports and sustains them.
Nicholas Hernandez
Executive Director
Contact Me
Anita Banuelos
Director of Community Organizing
Contact Me
Dina Puente
Community Organizer Associate
Contact Me
Take A Closer Look
Our Commitment to Financial Transparency
We rely on your support for our work, and we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the contributors who have supported the 50CAN network since its inception. In our advocacy efforts, we prioritize openness and transparency, providing comprehensive documentation of our sources of revenue and support. We are proud to share our CANnual Reports and 990s with you.
