Amy Oliver Show: Private Funds Honor 14 Successful Denver-Area Schools
Tom Kaesemeyer, executive director of the Denver-based Fox Family Foundation, talks about the latest round of monetary awards given by Foundations for Great Schools to recognize local schools that beat the odds in achieving successful results with challenging student populations.
Amy Oliver Show: Colorado School Grades Keeps Tabs on School Performance
Scott Laband of Colorado Succeeds explains how the Colorado School Grades website provides users a clear picture of school performance. With the site’s recent update based on new testing data, parents can see how their child’s current school is doing or look for new options during upcoming open enrollment periods in many Colorado school districts.
Do Charter Schools Create Real Competition?
Young Harris College Professor Nathan Gray discusses his study of Ohio charter schools that offers some new insights into the effects of competition in K-12 education and the importance of quality charter school policies. In Gray’s study, the threat of charter competition yielded significant learning gains for students in district schools.
Amy Oliver Show: Reforms vs. Tax Hikes in Jeffco Schools
Sheila Atwell, executive director of Jeffco Students First Action, makes a case for greater accountability in Colorado’s largest school district. She explains why the Jeffco Public Schools 3A and 3B tax hike proposals represent a misguided approach that burdens homeowners and business owners without the promise of better results.
Amy Oliver Show: Promoting Early Literacy in Colorado
Colorado Succeeds vice president Scott Laband joins guest host Ben DeGrow to discuss the implementation of the READ Act (HB 1238) adopted by the General Assembly this year and what else can be done to improve early literacy in Colorado.
DeGrow Chimes In on Denver School CSAP Testing Investigation
A story today on American Family Radio News (One News Now) about the pending investigation of two Denver schools for testing irregularities featured comments from senior policy analyst Ben DeGrow. In an interview with reporter Bob Kellogg, DeGrow noted that for at least one school (Beach Court Elementary), the evidence of inappropriate action was [...]
DeGrow Comments on Denver Charter School Network Success
Quoted in an article for School Reform News, an Education Policy Center expert commented on a 2012 Donnell-Kay Foundation study identifying success among Denver charter schools.
Denver Foundations Reward Local Schools that Beat the Odds
Tom Kaesemeyer, executive director of the Denver-based Fox Family Foundation, discusses the local cooperative initiative Foundations for Great Schools, which in January announced $500,000 in grant awards to more than a dozen Denver-area district and charter schools successfully serving large numbers of low-income students. Kaesemeyer highlights the genesis of the initiative, some of the key school success factors considered, and future plans to continue the program.
Colorado’s NCLB Waiver Won’t Mean Much without Deeper Reforms
Last week news broke that Colorado was one of 10 states to receive U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act. It’s really hard to say the impact the waiver will have in schools and district offices, but to the extent it enhances focus on genuine improvement rather than bureaucratic compliance Colorado students will be truly blessed. If we really want to shake things up and make a powerful impact, our state’s policy makers and other education leaders should pay heed to the growing number of substantial voices demanding that education dollars follow the child.
Tearing Down International Education Myths
Dr. William Moloney, former Colorado education commissioner and author of the Centennial Institute’s new issue brief “Much Better Schools on Much Lower Budgets,” demolishes most of the chief myths used to excuse the United States’ underwhelming performance on international student testing comparisons. He argues that American K-12 learning productivity has plenty of room for improvement.
