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Founded in 2004 as a high school in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, Denver School of Science & Technology (DSST) is now nationally renowned for its unique design, diversity, and consistent high achievement—considered one of the leading open enrollment STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) schools in the United States. DSST’s mission is to transform urban public education by eliminating educational inequity and preparing all students for success in college and the 21st century. With a focus on character development and rigorous academics in equal measure, which are represented by DSST’s six core values: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Courage, Curiosity, and Doing Your Best. 
Our research on DSST can be found on our website here.
Chairman and Host Earl Wright welcomes Bill Kurtz, DSST’s founding CEO, and Van Schoales, senior director of policy at the Keystone Policy Center to discuss DSST services to nearly 7,400 students across eight middle schools and eight high schools. The seven middle schools within the Denver school district accounted for 13% of all Denver middle school students. The seven Denver high schools accounted for 12% of all high school students. They discuss their ethos, what they hope to see from Colorado's educational system as a whole, what the future holds, and most notably, what people can take away from DSST's success.
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In this special edition of of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, June 4, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled: "The Colorado Crisis: The Economic Impact of Migrants and the Homeless.." Our panelists included:
Adam Paul - Director of Regional Affairs, Office of the Mayor | City and County of Denver
Paul Scudo - CEO of Step Denver
Heidi Williams - CEO of Civic Results and CEO and Executive Director of the Metro Mayors Caucus
DJ Summers - CSI Director of Policy & Research (Moderator)
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

What began as a relatively small-scale bus operation, RTD has grown to one of the Denver metro area’s most expansive pieces of infrastructure and a political arena of its own. Increasingly, the public is being asked to put more confidence into an organization of which it has cause to be skeptical.
In the face of expansive plans, though, RTD serves fewer people than it did just five years ago. Ridership halved during the COVID-19 public health emergency and plagued by lingering issues of elevated region-wide crime and remote work, it has not recovered to prepandemic levels.
On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes CSI's Urban Development Fellow Kelly Jean Brough and Daniel Hutton, Vice President of Transportation & Mobility for Denver South to discuss where RTD should focus its efforts for attracting and maintaining riders, and how to alleviate concerns of safety. The state has made a massive investment in the transit system, and this podcast focuses on the areas in which RTD can maximize that return on investment. You can read our full report titled "Fork in the Railroad: RTD’s Ridership Dilemma" here.
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.
You can find more about Kelly Brough here.
You can find more about Daniel Hutton here.

Arizona's legislative session continues, and Common Sense Institute is here to discuss what's already unfolded and what remains to transpire. Specifically, we discuss the state budget and the critical areas of housing and homelessness. These topics are at the forefront of policy decisions and have significant implications for the future of the state.
Joining Chairman and Host Earl Wright to unpack these issues are Katie Ratlief, Executive Director of Common Sense Institute, and Wayne Schutsky, a field correspondent with KJZZ. The three unpack the details of the legislative session, explore the legislative response to housing challenges, and discuss strategies to address homelessness in Arizona, among other issues.
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.
Katie Ratlief is Common Sense Institute’s Executive Director. In this role, Katie serves as CSI-AZ’s primary spokesperson, and works with the CEO, Board and other partners to ensure that CSI-AZ’s mission is fulfilled through programs, strategic planning and community outreach. Prior to joining the Common Sense Institute Arizona, Katie served in former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s administration for six years. She served as Director of Legislative Affairs, Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff. In there roles, she led the governor’s legislative, policy and budget teams in advocating for policies to ensure Arizona is the best state in which to live, work, play and raise a family.
Wayne Schutsky is a broadcast field correspondent covering Arizona politics on KJZZ. He has over a decade of experience as a journalist reporting on local communities in Arizona and the state Capitol. Schutsky previously contributed to the Arizona Capitol Times and edited the Yellow Sheet Report, an insider tip sheet focused on Arizona politics, from 2021 to 2023. He was the managing editor for the Scottsdale Progress newspaper from 2018 to 2021 and previously reported for the East Valley Tribune, Gilbert Sun News and Arcadia News. His coverage has received recognition from the Arizona Press Club and the Arizona Newspapers Association.

Anybody in Colorado can agree that housing is at the top of the list our most pressing matters. It’s expensive, there doesn’t seem to be enough of it, people are afraid they won’t be able to keep their homes or that they’ll never buy one to begin with, and property taxes are going to make the expense issue that much worse.
The Colorado legislature has a number of bills regarding housing currently under consideration including ADUs, parking requirements and "transit-oriented communities." Chairman and Host Earl Wright welcomes CSI Housing Fellow Peter LiFari to discuss these bills, what they would do, where they currently stand, and where we move forward from here. This is your inside look at the Capitol as it continues to tackle one of Colorado's most pressing issues: housing.
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Peter LiFari is Housing Fellow & Terry J. Stevinson Fellow and is the Executive Director of Maiker Housing Partners, a socially conscious public housing authority based in Adams County, Colorado. In his role as Executive Director, LiFari leads a passionate team committed to ending the cycle of generational poverty by providing individuals and families with access to affordable housing, support programs and by engaging in community development. LiFari is a compassionate visionary whose leadership style is grounded in treating individuals with empathy, warmth and grace. 

In this special edition of of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, April 16, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled: " From the State Capitol to the Kitchen Table: How Colorado Policy is Impacting Housing, Safety and Infrastructure." Our panelists included:
Kelly Brough - CSI Urban Development Fellow
Debbie Brown - President of Colorado Business Roundtable
Chief Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow
Peter LiFari - CSI Housing Fellow
Dan Njegomir - Opinion Editor of Denver Gazette (Moderator) 
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.