charter schools
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Elvrum: Parents are at the heart of school choice
Last week, Colorado and many other states celebrated National School Choice Week, which raises public awareness for all types of education options for children. The goal is to make a world-class education available for every child. While the type of best education differs for each child, ranging from public school to private school to online…
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Fields: A 2017 reform agenda to improve all Coloradans’ wellbeing
Now that Colorado lawmakers have convened in Denver, the push for increased government spending has already begun. But before we go down the road to more state spending – and higher taxes – lawmakers would be wise to consider real solutions that will improve lives without placing an additional financial burden on Colorado families. Here are…
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It’s all about education for longtime lobbyist Jane Urschel
Even after 23 years lobbying at the state Capitol, Jane Urschel says she learns something new all the time. “Every day is different,” she says. “There’s no continuity – you just go down there and find out what the surprise is for the day, then you deal with that.” Urschel is in charge of advocacy…
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Noonan: Legislature’s last days’ late nights leave citizens in the lurch
Colorado may have some big problems, but it’s impossible to tell from bills signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper as of the last three days of the General Assembly. The governor signed 179 of 686 bills by end of day Monday. The slow pace of bills pushed 193 bills into unfinished status on the 119th…
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Flood: Charter school students deserve equal footing on funding
Charter schools have been part of Colorado’s public school family for over 20 years and currently serve over 108,000 kids in 226 schools across the state. If combined, charters would represent the largest school district in Colorado. Despite this enormous popularity and success, charter public school students remain at a distinct disadvantage when it comes…
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Noonan: Testing, student bullying, school funding rustle end-of-session restless
Thousands of Colorado students opted out of the state’s Colorado Measure of Academic Success tests over the last couple of weeks, with at least one Douglas County high school at 800 students who took a pass, according to a well-placed source. High school CMAS/PARCC tests are only for ninth graders. During testing weeks, school work…
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Watson: Creating a level playing field in Colorado education
When it comes to creatively advancing the quality of education in Colorado, we need to consider ways of making a level playing field for children to thrive. Colorado has a network of strongly performing charter schools when it comes to both academic rigor and healthy student culture. Many of them have won impressive awards for…