Senior reporter — Chalkbeat Colorado.
Desperate phone calls and long waitlists as Colorado parents struggle to find child care
Groups that help Colorado families find child care say the pandemic has made things harder than ever
How Colorado will boost child care with latest round of federal COVID aid
The money comes as child care businesses work to recover from the turmoil of the pandemic and state leaders
Colorado’s standardized test scores are in. But did your kid even take the test?
One thing is clear: Many students struggled academically last year.
6 takeaways from a $1.5 million evaluation of Colorado’s reading law
Lawmakers commissioned the multiyear evaluation in 2019 amid growing concern that efforts driven by the READ Act had done little to boost reading scores among Colorado students. They earmarked up to $750,000 a year for the outside review.s
In bid to boost Colorado reading scores, small program shows promise where larger efforts failed
From Englewood to Lamar, other school leaders agree, and many have sought additional grant funding or district dollars to preserve initiatives
Colorado may shift to a more in-depth reading exam for some new teachers
Around 20 states already require teacher candidates to take in-depth exams on reading instruction
Finding out how Colorado schools teach reading can be a wild goose chase. This bill could make it easier.
The transparency legislation comes out of an ongoing push by parents of students with dyslexia and other advocates to shine a light on the black box that is reading instruction at many Colorado schools
Colorado’s dyslexia screening pilot program is off to a shaky start
The pilot program comes amid ongoing state efforts to improve reading instruction and keep struggling readers from slipping through the cracks
Colorado got $119 million in early childhood funding from the second federal stimulus bill. Here’s where it’s going.
Overall, state officials estimated that at least 60% percent of the $119 million will go directly to child care providers across the state
Colorado’s rules on reading curriculum apply to Aurora, but that was news to district officials
One-third of Aurora’s district-run elementary and K-8 schools, enrolling more than 5,000 students, use unacceptable reading curriculum and are out of compliance with the law.
Jeffco to adopt new reading curriculum, push more uniform approach
The switch will consume as much as 2% of Jeffco Schools' $806 million budget. And it's not the only large metro district out of compliance with state curriculum quality laws.
Colorado joins multistate effort to improve how teacher prep programs cover reading
The project is the latest in a series of steps by state education officials meant to get more Colorado children reading at grade level after years of stagnant scores
Yes, in-person learning is still possible with “red” COVID numbers. Here’s how it looks in one Colorado district
One bright spot this year? Discipline referrals are down 90% because kids who are in the classroom really want to be there, one principal says.
After flood of concerns, Colorado Board of Education poised to relax deadline for teacher training on reading
The situation encompasses the larger debate about whether state leaders and educators are doing enough to help the more-than-50% of Colorado students who struggle to read well
Colorado child care centers see rise in coronavirus outbreaks as disease spreads across Denver area
Unlike schools, many child care centers have been open during most or all of the pandemic
Many Jeffco schools use discredited curriculum to teach students how to read
The list of reading curriculums illustrates not only the stark differences between Jeffco schools, but also the large number of district schools that are out of compliance with a 2019 state law
“We were overlooked”: Colorado’s child care providers face a rough road to coronavirus recovery
About 10% of Colorado child care centers and child care homes were still closed at the end of July because of the pandemic, according to a survey by the nonprofit Early Milestones Colorado
Here’s how Colorado schools are tackling outdoor learning during the pandemic
Educators say that even if outdoor learning doesn’t last — either because of bad weather or COVID-19 outbreaks that send students home — it can give teachers a chance to build face-to-face relationships with students early on.
Are you a Colorado child care provider who’s open for business? The state has money for you.
The goal is “to create somewhat of a support system around these small businesses as much as we can.”