Here are some facts in response to baseless claims and misplaced fears
schools
Posted inEducation
How can Colorado attract more teachers of color? New report doubles down on need for better pay, mentorship.
The report, authored by a workgroup that lawmakers tasked with exploring teacher diversity, doesn’t unveil any new ideas but hits on strategies long known to be effective.
Posted inOpinion Columns
Nicolais: Yes, Dennis Prager, school children do make the world better
In just a few days guest teaching, I saw what the conservative radio host seems to have missed in his decades alive
Posted inOpinion Columns
Nicolais: As testing scores tumble, our commitment to Colorado teachers must redouble
Recent studies show that the COVID pandemic led to big drops in testing scores. We must provide more resources to educators
Posted inEducation
A Colorado school cut teachers in anticipation of an enrollment drop. Then nearly 100 extra kids showed up.
Colorado Springs School District 11 officials asking remaining teachers at Jenkins Middle School to take on bigger workload
Posted inEducation
Staff from from 16 Jeffco schools facing closure would have to reapply for district jobs
More than 400 teachers and staff work at the 16 elementary schools recommended for closure. Some worry there won’t be another job for them in the district.
Posted inEducation, News
Colorado will provide free education to students across health care jobs as it tries to fill dire worker shortages
A state effort to ease Colorado’s dire shortage of health care workers will offer tuition-free training for several thousand students, providing a much-needed boost to hospitals and clinics. The Care Forward Colorado Program will invest $26 million of federal COVID stimulus funding into the program for two years, guaranteeing free schooling for students interested in […]
Posted inEducation, News
Colorado teachers earn 36% less than other college-educated workers, the worst gap in the country
Teacher pay has long trailed behind other professions requiring a college degree, and in Colorado that pay gap is widest of any state, according to a report published last week by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank that identifies itself as nonpartisan. Colorado teachers earn 35.9% less than other college-educated workers, […]
Posted inNews
Colorado schools, child care centers must test water for lead, make fixes
A new state law will require about 5,800 Colorado elementary schools and child care centers to test their drinking water for lead and install filters or do repairs if they find elevated levels. Schools and child care facilities will have until May 31 to test their water and will have to make fixes if lead […]
Posted inNews
Colorado schools’ hardest jobs to fill: Bus drivers and special education
For Lacey Nelson, the weeks leading up to the start of school are a blur of spreadsheets, meetings, and calls from principals about last-minute teacher resignations. With less than two weeks to go, Denver Public Schools’ director of talent acquisition is still looking to hire 150 teachers, 275 paraprofessionals, and up to 45 bus drivers. […]