The Launch Story

The Background

In 2020 75.9% of 3rd graders from low-income families in Colorado are BELOW grade level in literacy. Yes, you read that correctly, in 2020 these are the actual numbers. Every year, THOUSANDS of kids are failed by the collective actions and inactions of adults…ALL adults (including you and us), and every single one of us can either choose to ignore this reality or do something about it. In 2017, co-founders Justin Darnell and Sarah Rauenhorst chose to do something about it and founded the Launch Network.

A few months prior to meeting each other, we had each independently and simultaneously reached a breaking point. We had both been teachers and leaders in several different roles for many years, experiencing varying degrees of success (e.g. Justin was Colorado Teacher of the Year and Sarah getting a Master of Ed. from Harvard), yet we had watched student after student fall through the cracks, and had become incredibly frustrated with our education system. We had directly experienced what many in our community have not; that there are thousands of students right now who are 2 or more years behind academically and have little to no chance of catching up. This is further complicated by the fact that through years of “sugar coating” many parents don’t realize their child is one of the thousands who are really far behind.

Our school systems are NOT built to serve kids with significant gaps, even though each child has the potential to succeed academically. It also didn’t matter we had each been quite successful as educators because we had also failed to close gaps for our kids furthest behind. Over 25 years of combined experience and it…was…not…working. Then, we found each other, instantly connected through our passion for education, a strong belief in the potential of every child, and a desire to find a new path.

Soon after meeting, we chose to step up, step in, risk everything, and leverage our power and privilege to start something new for kids and families. Since 2017, we’ve been changing the game and our students and families’ results are proving large academic gaps can be closed. In fact, our students have been averaging 1.8 years of academic gains per 9 months. This is huge and a testament to our efforts to rebuild trust with parents, engage the community, and intentionally create shared power structures between school, students, and families. This is different. This is unique. This is worth greater investment. 

Along the way we have had many bumps in the road and learned a lot about the impact of systemic and institutional racism on kids and families of color. We have made a ton of missteps and are so grateful for the grace and patience of our families and communities. At the same time, we know this is a work in progress and there will likely be many more bumps along the way. As long as we continue to approach the work with humility and a willingness to listen, we believe we will be able to continue to build bridges and launch the potential of all children.