In the realm of education, progress is measured in small steps. Colorado recently published its CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) scores, and we saw a slight improvement. Though seemingly modest at first glance, it signifies a shift in the right direction for the state’s educational system.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our children and their educational development. The closure of schools and the shift to remote learning disrupted the normal learning process for many students. Online learning presented challenges such as limited access to technology, lack of reliable internet connectivity and difficulties in adapting to virtual classrooms. This disruption led to learning loss and unequal educational opportunities, with some students struggling to keep up with their studies. The pandemic also exposed and exacerbated existing educational inequalities. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds faced greater challenges in accessing needs to participate in remote learning, such as computer or internet access. The CMAS scores clearly indicate this has further widened the achievement gap between students from differing socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Though my counterpart has passionate opinions about public education, we cannot just eliminate our system. Whether personal or constitutional, we have a requirement to our public education system. Education is the foundation of a prosperous and successful society. By investing in the education system, we are investing in the future of our state.

Like with any successful endeavor, investment is key. Recently, our governor and legislature started discussions of fully funding our public education system for the first time in 14 years. Yes, you read that correctly. Before feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, our public education system hadn’t been fully funded since the great recession. Though no system is perfect and evaluations and adjustments should always be done for improvement, these immense challenges our public education system have faced and grappled with to get our kids to where they need to be should be acknowledged.

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Though a slight improvement in CMAS scores might not be cause for extravagant celebration, it is undeniably a step in the right direction. It reflects the collective efforts of Colorado’s educational community and demonstrates the state’s commitment to providing quality education for all. By celebrating this progress, we acknowledge the hard work of students, teachers, administrators and policymakers and inspire them to continue striving for even greater achievements. Let us build on this positive momentum and work toward an educational system that empowers all students to reach their full potential.

Lisa LaBriola is a principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies and was a Senate Democrat staffer for close to a decade. She served as chief of staff to former Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect the opinions of any other organizations.