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Hard work pays off: District 51 sees strong gains in statewide test scores
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KKCO-TV Grand Junction, Approved, Local

Hard work pays off: District 51 sees strong gains in statewide test scores

By Gabriela Chay | KKCO 11 News GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -The Colorado Department of Education released district-level CMAS and PSAT/SAT scores for the 2024-25 school year. District 51 saw strong academic gains in its test scores. According to D51, elementary students (Grades 3-5) are above state averages in five of six literacy and math CMAS categories. Middle schools (Grades 6-8) haven’t yet matched state levels in literacy and math, but D51 said they’re continuing to invest resources and support to help build momentum in the future. At the high school level, students met or exceeded the rest of the state in all literacy categories and three out of six math categories on the PSAT and SAT. “I’m super proud of our staff. We’ve had some challenges over the last few years, but t...
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Why educational choice matters more than ever in Colorado
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Why educational choice matters more than ever in Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Educational Choice Makes Education Better I saw the op ed below in Complete recently and wanted to share. It details a movement in education that I was not aware of: microschools.A couple of non-contiguous quotes help explain."Microschools are small learning communities typically serving less than 50 students, but which may have as many as 150. These schools are usually privately funded and launched by parents or educators to offer unique programs that address a specific need or demand in their communities. Low student-to-teacher ratios prioritize giving individual attention to each student."and "Driven by a desire for change, most microschools do not adhere to the standard educational model. It is most common for mi...
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The culture war at home: How modern trends leave kids vulnerable
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The culture war at home: How modern trends leave kids vulnerable

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Modern culture directly affects our society. This is not your parent’s Yoplait yogurt. The current culture’s influence is stronger than ever and is constantly evolving. Ask a typical high school student what they want to be when they grow up, and you won’t hear answers of doctor, lawyer or accountant. They dream of being an influencer. But they've already been influenced themselves. The Influence of Modern Culture The culture and its sphere of influence include several facets. Changing societal norms benefit predators. Vulnerable kids and teens correlate with an increased risk of manipulation and exploitation. Specific examples are summarized below: Unstable home life: Unsupervised children have a higher tendency to s...
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Teachers Unions Sent $50M to Progressive Groups Instead of Classrooms
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National, Approved, Fox News

Teachers Unions Sent $50M to Progressive Groups Instead of Classrooms

By Alec Schemmel | Fox News A public unions expert told Fox News Digital the NEA spends less than 10% of its budget on 'representational activities'. Amid a trend of declining membership since the Supreme Court struck down mandatory union dues, the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions have poured tens of millions into left-wing causes, a new report from a conservative watchdog group finds. The national nonprofit group, Defending Ed, released a report this week after combing through the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers' contributions to left-wing and far-left groups. The nonprofit found that the two unions spent a combined $43.5 million since 2022 to help fund state and federal political action committees and other ideologically left-wing entities...
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Veteran Colorado Teacher Opts Out Unions, Champions Educator Choice
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State, Approved, IW Features

Veteran Colorado Teacher Opts Out Unions, Champions Educator Choice

By Jordan Jantz | IW Features When she started taking education courses in college, Jill Cullis thought teaching was just her backup career plan. She never imagined she’d be an educator, let alone spend more than three decades working in Colorado’s public schools, teaching students while helping colleagues find freedom from the teachers union. And she never imagined her workplace would become so politically hostile that she would be forced to retire. “I remember my mom saying, I just kind of came alive when I would talk about teaching,” Cullis told IW Features. “It was sort of a plan B, but in reality, it was God’s plan A for me.” Cullis was raised in a conservative household, and in high school, she read Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose, which cemented the freedom-focused values ...
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Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado A new survey of more than 3,200 educators in Colorado says the housing crisis is pushing teachers out of their communities, and in some cases, out of the profession. The Keystone Policy Center's report, We Can't Live Where We Teach: Teacher Perspectives, finds that more than half of educators are spending well above the recommended share of their income on housing, with some paying more than 40%. Nearly 6 in 10 say they would be interested in district-provided affordable housing, and 70% would be comfortable with their school district as their landlord. "Colorado's ability to deliver quality education depends on having committed, effective teachers in every classroom," said Van Schoales, senior policy director at the Keystone Policy Center. "This repor...
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Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control

By Christy Anderson | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Contracts. Impasse. Mediation. Oh my!  We’ve all seen the headlines, the crowd of red shirts, and the talking points about “fighting for teachers and students.” But as a teacher—and a former union member—I’m here to tell you: what’s happening with the Mesa Valley Education Association (MVEA) isn’t about students. It’s political theatre, and it’s about control.  Let’s start with a bit of history.  Teacher unions were initially formed to give educators a voice in working conditions. In the early 20th century, teachers—primarily women—were underpaid, lacked job security, and had no influence in how schools were run. The National Education Association (NEA), founded in 1857, and the American Federation of T...
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Student safety advocacy group offers summertime tips for relationships with teachers
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Student safety advocacy group offers summertime tips for relationships with teachers

By Greg Nieto | Fox31 News JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The founder of one of the most prominent student safety groups in Colorado is offering tips for parents this summer regarding safeguarding relationships with their teachers. Lindsay Datko is the founder and head of Jeffco Kids First, which goes by the motto, “Restore, Repair and Rebuild.”   Datko founded the organization in July 2020, during the pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX31 NEWS
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State bill rewrites how Colorado decides school vaccine mandates
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

State bill rewrites how Colorado decides school vaccine mandates

By John Ingold | Colorado Sun An amendment slipped into a bill by Democrats would shift reliance away from a key federal committee in determining which vaccines Colorado schoolkids are required to get Colorado lawmakers have quietly moved to shift the state’s school immunization requirements away from the recommendations of a prominent federal committee, in response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The move comes in an amendment to a bill, House Bill 1027, currently awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature. The amendment makes a change to how Colorado decides which vaccines to require. Colorado’s Board of Health sets the rules for which vaccines schoolkids need to receive or to have a valid exemption for. The current law sa...
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Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board After years of overreach and unchecked government growth, Colorado lawmakers are now scrambling to plug a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget — a crisis largely of their own making.  Colorado budget writers voted Wednesday night to finalize a 2025–26 budget plan that slashes transportation funding, eliminates programs, and kicks key decisions down the road — all while Medicaid spending surges out of control. Despite the so-called “cuts,” the budget still grows to over $16 billion. But massive increases in Medicaid — particularly long-term care for seniors and the disabled — are eating up the budget at an unsustainable pace. Democrat lawmakers admit the problem is only getting worse. “Next year, I see our fiscal challenges compounding,...
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