Author: ERICA MELTZER Chalkbeat Colorado
-
How Colorado education board crafted its Holocaust language
—
by
A Republican State Board of Education member who believes socialism poses grave dangers at home and abroad has put his stamp on how Colorado students will learn about the Holocaust. Over the last year and a half, Steve Durham has pushed for the state’s academic standards to connect the Holocaust and other genocides to socialism.…
-
State education board rejects "Birthright" civics
—
by
Democrats on the State Board of Education rejected an effort to base Colorado civics education on the conservative American Birthright program. Republican State Board member Debora Scheffel had proposed tossing the civics standards developed by a committee of teachers, community members, and other experts and starting over using American Birthright as a base. American Birthright…
-
Teachers union, Denver Public Schools reach agreement on pay increase
—
by
The Denver teachers union and Denver Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement that raises wages an average of 8.7%, sets starting salary a little above $50,000, and promises teachers more planning time during the work day. The announcement of a deal comes after a marathon bargaining session between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and…
-
Two new seats, high stakes in Colorado State Board of Education election
—
by
Colorado’s State Board of Education is growing from seven to nine seats, and political control of the body that sets education policy could be at stake in November’s election. The addition of two seats due to Colorado’s growing population – one representing a new 8th Congressional District that includes Adams and Weld counties and another…
-
State survey shows support for charters, 4-day school weeks
—
by
A majority of Colorado voters have a favorable view of charter schools and support opening new ones even in districts with declining enrollment. But support for charters was notably lower among Democratic voters. The findings come from a Magellan Strategies poll of 882 Colorado registered voters conducted between April 26 and May 1. Survey questions…
-
Colorado schools open doors amid record COVID surge
—
by
Most Colorado school districts are bringing students back to the classroom this week as scheduled, even as the state reports a record number of COVID cases. They’re also bracing for staffing shortages and asking families to be flexible, patient, and prepared. On Monday, at least three Denver schools – Northfield High School, Lake Middle School…
-
Colorado offers gift cards to students who sign up for COVID testing
—
by
Colorado will give gift cards to students who participate in regular COVID testing at school. Gov. Jared Polis announced Thursday that students who get tested through the state’s free school COVID testing program will be eligible for a $25 gift card for the first test and $10 for each subsequent test. In addition, participating schools…
-
Weekly COVID testing could limit spread in Colorado schools, state officials say
—
by
As cases of COVID in young children rise steeply, Colorado public health officials say it’s important to test all students and staff weekly to help reduce disease transmission. Colorado has allocated $173 million of federal relief money to provide schools with free rapid tests and help in setting up testing programs. “Our goal with this…
-
District 49 says it won’t report COVID cases even though Colorado law requires it
—
by
Saying the risks of quarantine outweigh the risk of disease, a Colorado school district insists it won’t report COVID cases to local public health authorities, even though state officials say the law requires it. “It is our judgement, backed by months of student and community observation and interaction, with corresponding experiential data, that the risks…
-
Report: More than half of aspiring Colorado elementary teachers fail their licensure exam on the first try; many don’t try again
—
by
More than half of prospective elementary teachers in Colorado fail their licensure exams on the first try, and of those who fail, 40% don’t try again, according to new data from the National Council on Teacher Quality. Only 46% of state elementary teacher candidates pass their exam on the first try, similar to the national…
