By Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat Colorado More than a third of Colorado students who graduated from high school in 2017 were flagged as needing additional help in reading or math to do college-level work. This number has barely budged in the 17 years that the Colorado Department of Higher Education has reported on developmental education needs, […]
education
Posted inEducation, News
Colorado built a system to measure child care quality. Now, it wants more providers to climb the ratings ladder.
By Anne Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado Four years ago, every licensed preschool and child care provider in Colorado received a rating, for the first time in the state’s history. The vast majority of programs started out with Level 1 ratings, the lowest in the new five-tier “Colorado Shines” system. Since then, the state has pumped millions […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
STEM School, site of fatal shooting, secures five-year charter renewal after contentious battle
STEM School Highlands Ranch on Saturday received a five-year charter renewal from the Douglas County School Board, though the institution is subject to a two-year compliance review to determine whether it has addressed safety concerns heightened by last month’s fatal shooting. Douglas County School Superintendent Thomas Tucker will review the school’s operations after two years. […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, News, Technology
How to close the technology gender gap? A Colorado-launched effort starts with making sure stories don’t go untold
After TV news show 60 Minutes aired its “Cracking the Code” episode in March about the gender gap in technology, many of the folks working on the gap were furious. The show didn’t reference any of the female-led organizations working on the issue, concluded that things were getting worse and let a man speak for […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado treats marijuana taxes like “a piggy bank.” But now top lawmakers want to limit spending to two areas.
Colorado lawmakers “hear it all the time,” says Sen. Rachel Zenzinger. “There’s so much suspicion around what we’re doing with marijuana money,” the Arvada Democrat told The Colorado Sun. “There is this perception that there’s a lot of money and we’re just not spending it on education like we should.” The complaints from constituents and […]
Posted inEducation, News
There’s an app for that: How two rural Colorado counties reached more kids with developmental delays
By Anne Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado A decade ago young children who missed key developmental milestones — like walking or talking — too often fell through the cracks in northern Colorado’s Grand and Jackson counties. Some were never screened for delays as babies or toddlers. Others were screened, but not referred to the right place for […]
Posted inSunLit, SunLit Interviews
Amid tipsy Santas and smartphones, author saw need for urgent message on dealing with disaster
L. S. Gardiner creates educational experiences about our planet for websites, museums, and classrooms at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Center for Science Education. In addition to writing creative nonfiction, she tells stories through comics and illustrations. Gardiner holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing and a Ph.D. in geology. Her book […]
Posted inBook Excerpts, SunLit
In “Tales from an Uncertain World” excerpt, author explores the boundaries of understanding
L. S. Gardiner creates educational experiences about our planet for websites, museums, and classrooms at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Center for Science Education. In addition to writing creative nonfiction, she tells stories through comics and illustrations. Gardiner holds an MFA in creative nonfiction writing and a Ph.D. in geology. Her book […]
Posted inEducation, News
Many refugee students register for school using the wrong birthdate. Advocates urge Aurora district to change how it verifies age.
By Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat Colorado Some Aurora students are aging out of local schools — often because of an incorrect birthdate on their immigration documents. “I had several students who were about to age out and they had no idea,” Kati Van Sicklen, a teacher at Aurora Central High School, told Chalkbeat. “Specifically for the […]
Posted inEducation, News
“It’s OK to not be OK”: How one Colorado high school saved lives with a 34-question survey
By Ann Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado It was 10:30 a.m. on a Monday in April. Nine counselors, psychologists, and therapists sat around a table in a conference room at Cañon City High School in southern Colorado. In classrooms around the building, the school’s ninth-graders whizzed through an online mental health survey that would soon deliver real-time […]