Times of economic distress typically give rise to bustling community college campuses, where students of all backgrounds turn to enhance their skills or build new ones in pursuit of a new career altogether. Accessible to all, community colleges offer a safe harbor for students — both traditional and nontraditional — trying to navigate toward an […]
Erica Breunlin
Email: erica@coloradosun.com Twitter: @EricaBreunlin
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
“College can wait”: With families struggling, Colorado students are working to help make ends meet
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Like many high school students, Jessica Tario’s weeks are consumed by much more than classes and homework. The Glenwood Springs High School senior spends about the same amount of time working as a cashier at Walmart as she does on her final courses before graduating. Wearing a black mask and disposable gloves, […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado’s coronavirus budget crunch is putting Democratic accomplishments at risk
Anna Layden makes $57,000 a year as an educator in Durango and owes the same amount in student debt after putting herself through college and graduate school. To pay it down, she applied for a $5,000 loan repayment through a new initiative for Colorado teachers. Deana Cairo wanted to see her 19-year-old son with developmental […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Even as Colorado child care centers reopen, their long-term survivability is at risk
As Becky Crowe plots the reopening of Clayton Early Learning’s 20-acre campus that shut down in March to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, she said it’s almost like playing “a grand game of whack-a-mole.” “The second you address one problem, there’s like three others that pop up,” said Crowe, president and CEO […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Colorado schools sound the alarm on students’ emotional well-being during coronavirus crisis
Forty-six percent of Colorado school districts say they need help with technology to teach students remotely. But more critically, students are stressed out and need more support for emotional well-being than academics, according to a statewide needs assessment to suss out the top needs among districts amid the new coronavirus. The coronavirus has amplified stress […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
As Colorado kids with disabilities study remotely, some are lacking critical support services
With all four of her children home, Deronn Turner’s house is filled with writing assignments, art projects, books, flashcards and learning devices. Her children are what she calls “creative crazies.” Two are enrolled at Denver School of the Arts and the oldest is a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art. “My work is […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News, Technology
How do you study online without a computer or internet access? It’s a reality for many Colorado kids.
Once Centennial School District R-1 attaches an antenna to its K-12 school building, students in the tiny San Luis Valley district will have a new place to access the internet for their classes: the parking lot. At a minimum, Superintendent Toby Melster said, students will be able to come to the school, sit in the […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Online learning is harder for some students, so Colorado schools are protecting grades with new policies
Even after coping with tremendous disruption to his school days, Andrew Busch may end his sophomore year at George Washington High School with a clean lineup of A’s. That’s one of his goals, at least — a goal he is two classes away from reaching as he tries to elevate his A- in advanced math […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Coronavirus stole their last months of high school in Colorado, and a long list of traditions
On the last day of school at Littleton High, teachers form a walkway in the gym as graduating seniors pass through, stopping to hug and say goodbye and sometimes cry. Bella Hathorne had been looking forward to this tradition since she entered Littleton High four years ago as an anxious freshman, greeted by the same […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
For Colorado’s youngest students, attention span is just as important as academics in remote learning
When a group of Kristina McCombie’s first graders joined students from another class over a Zoom call last month, chaos slowly erupted. As more students jumped onto the video gathering, their excitement escalated past the point of no return. McCombie muted the students — about 25 total from Stevens Elementary School in Jeffco Public Schools […]