While many children across Colorado are heading to school on Monday mornings, siblings Angelica and Paul Gallegos of Brighton are on their way to Barr Lake State Park’s Nature Center to volunteer. “Every time we go, we all learn something different, something new, and I just think it’s awesome that I’m able to give my […]
education
Posted inEducation, Growth, News
Denver schools could soon have too few students — meaning consolidation might be coming. Here’s why.
By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado As Denver families are pushed out by high housing costs, declining enrollment is emerging as a notable budget issue for the school district, signaling that hard conversations about school consolidations could be coming. A recent presentation to the Denver school board highlighted the challenges. One of the biggest? The predicted […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Hero students like Kendrick Castillo highlight a shift in guidance on how to respond to a school shooting
By Carolyn Thompson and Michael Melia, The Associated Press BALTIMORE — The actions of students who died tackling gunmen at two U.S. campuses a week apart have been hailed as heroic. At a growing number of schools around the country, they also reflect guidance to students, at least in some situations, to do what they […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Anonymous complaint alleged issues at STEM School months before deadly shooting. Officials say it was uncorroborated.
An anonymous complaint nearly five months before a deadly shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch alleged that a “high-pressure environment” made it susceptible to an attack like the ones that happened at Columbine and Arapahoe high schools. The complaint, which came in a phone call to Douglas County School District Board of Education Director […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Beyond test scores: Colorado experiments create alternatives for rating schools
By Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat Colorado A coalition of rural Colorado districts has spent four years building a parallel, unofficial school improvement system that looks beyond test scores and seeks to measure things like the quality of instruction and student attitudes toward learning. “We want data that helps us improve, and state data is not helping […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Policy vs. practice: Handcuffing of students under review in Denver Public Schools
By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado The chief of safety for Denver’s public schools has vowed to review the use of handcuffs on students, as well as how district safety officers are trained to work with young children, and recommend any possible policy or procedure changes. In a presentation to the school board Monday, neither Chief […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Think teacher pay is low in Colorado? Try teaching preschool.
By Anne Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado Last year’s statewide teacher rallies and this year’s Denver teacher strike shined a bright light on Colorado’s lower-than-average teacher pay. But less well-known is the wide salary gap between public elementary school teachers and their preschool counterparts. Last year, lead preschool teachers in district-run schools made $30,500 on average, nearly $22,000 less […]
Posted inEducation, Energy, Health, Politics and Government
At 100-day mark, Gov. Jared Polis evaluates his campaign promises and toughest moments
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reaches the 100-day mark of his administration Thursday with plenty to celebrate, even if he didn’t deliver on one of his top campaign promises. This week, the Democrat’s top agenda item — a measure to provide state-funded, full-day kindergarten — won a key victory, and other legislation he supports is advancing […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Most Americans believe schools have become less safe in the 20 years since Columbine, poll shows
By Emily Swanson, Carolyn Thompson and Hannah Fingerhut, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Twenty years after the Columbine High School shooting made practicing for armed intruders as routine as fire drills, many parentshave only tepid confidence in the ability of schools to stop a gunman, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
A Colorado anti-tax group is trying halt a new law aimed at boosting early childhood education funding
By Sandra Fish, Chalkbeat Colorado An anti-tax group wants to overturn a law allowing local governments to create special districts to pay for early childhood education. The Colorado Union of Taxpayers received approval Friday to gather signatures to try to repeal House Bill 1052. That bill allows local governments to ask voters to approve special districts […]