Colorado

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Colorado
North Carolina Wesleyan University professor Patricia Brewer gives education major Makaela Stokes a hug after a tutoring session at the school in Rocky Mount, N.C., on March 18, 2024.
North Carolina Wesleyan University professor Patricia Brewer gives education major Makaela Stokes a hug after a tutoring session at the school in Rocky Mount, N.C., on March 18, 2024. For the past nine years, Brewer has hosted an after-school program for local families of students with disabilities where students receive tutoring from special education teacher candidates while Brewer teaches their parents to advocate for their kids.
Alex Boerner for Education Week
Families & the Community Should Working With Families Be a Core Skill for Teachers?
Just half of educator preparation programs offer a course on parent and family engagement.
Libby Stanford, April 25, 2024
12 min read
Irene Perez and Yolanda Cosio type in math equations on their calculators during their general education development class within the community hub at John H. Amesse Elementary School on March 13, 2024 in Denver. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have serviced 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.
Irene Perez and Yolanda Cosio type in math equations on their calculators during their GED class held at the community hub at John H. Amesse Elementary School on March 13, 2024, in Denver. The Denver school district has six community hubs that provide a range of resources for families and students.
Rebecca Slezak For Education Week
Families & the Community Why This District Meets Parents at Home
Parent-teacher home visits are more than conferences. They're about forming trusting relationships.
Libby Stanford, April 25, 2024
15 min read
Candles burn at a makeshift memorial near Columbine High School on April 27, 1999, for each of the of the 13 people killed during a shooting spree at the Littleton, Colo., school.
Candles burn at a makeshift memorial near Columbine High School on April 27, 1999, for each of the of the 13 people killed during a shooting spree at the Littleton, Colo., school.
Michael S. Green/AP
School Climate & Safety How Columbine Shaped 25 Years of School Safety
Columbine ushered in the modern school safety era. A quarter decade later, its lessons remain relevant—and sometimes elusive.
Evie Blad, April 17, 2024
14 min read
 Conceptual photo of of a young boy studying mathematics using fingers in primary school.
Kilukilu/iStock/Getty
Mathematics Schools Prioritize Reading Intervention. But What About Math?
Early intervention can have large positive effects for students down the line, researchers say.
Sarah Schwartz, February 23, 2024
7 min read
LeeAnn Kittle, executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, helped develop projects such as the solar canopy in the parking lot of Northeast Early College in Denver.
LeeAnn Kittle, the executive director of sustainability for the Denver school district, stands by a solar canopy in the parking lot of Northeast Early College, one of the district's high schools.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A This Leader Channeled Students' Climate Anxiety Into Action. See How
LeeAnn Kittle partnered with student advocates to champion environmental sustainability in Denver's public schools.
Arianna Prothero, February 5, 2024
3 min read
LeeAnn Kittle, executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, right, talks to Amelia Fernández Rodríguez, 16, a junior at DSST: Conservatory Green High School on Jan. 12, 2024. Rodríguez and her peers lead “DPS Students for Climate Action,” and were filming a video at Denver East High School on creating a sustainability club.
LeeAnn Kittle, the executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, right, talks to Amelia Fernández Rodríguez, 16, a junior at DSST: Conservatory Green High School. Kittle partners with Rodríguez and other students on efforts to make the district's schools more sustainable.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From This Leader Partners With Students to Build a More Sustainable Future for Her District
Under LeeAnn Kittle's leadership, the Denver district has implemented an ambitious climate action plan.
Arianna Prothero, February 5, 2024
10 min read
Illustration: Hand with pencil aiming for target
DigitalVision Vectors<br/>
School & District Management What Superintendents Are Doing This Winter Break—and Planning for 2024
District leaders say they plan to rest and then refocus for the new year.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 19, 2023
3 min read
Lisa Raskin, who is a teacher at Jefferson Union High School District, talks about living on her own at the district's new housing complex in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. The school district in San Mateo County is among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing. But with a national teacher shortage and rapidly rising rents, the working class district could serve as a harbinger as schools across the U.S. seek to attract and retain educators.
Lisa Raskin, who is a teacher at the Jefferson Union high school district, talks about living on her own at the district's new housing complex in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. Only a handful of places in the country have educator housing, but teacher shortages and rapidly rising rents are making more districts take note.
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
Recruitment & Retention 'Lesson Planning in the Laundry Room': What Housing for Teachers Looks Like
From converted schools and tiny houses, to shiny new complexes, districts have tackled new ideas to make sure their teachers can live nearby.
Madeline Will, December 4, 2023
7 min read
Students Anthony Gonzalez, middle, and Kritza Ardon Blanco, right, listen to teacher Kristine Jones, left, in the library at Valencia Newcomer School on Oct. 17, 2019, in Phoenix. Children from around the world are learning the English skills and American classroom customs they need to succeed at so-called newcomer schools. Valencia Newcomer School in Phoenix is among a handful of such public schools in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping some of the thousands of children who arrive in the country annually.
Students Anthony Gonzalez, middle, and Kritza Ardon Blanco, right, listen to teacher Kristine Jones, left, in the library at Valencia Newcomer School on Oct. 17, 2019, in Phoenix. Valencia Newcomer School in Phoenix is among a handful of public schools in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping some of the thousands of children who arrive in the country annually.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
English Learners State Officials Share Advice on Supporting New Immigrant Students
Less than half of all states offer resources on how to enroll and support students new to the United States.
Ileana Najarro, November 30, 2023
5 min read
Image of a dollar sign being pushed up by a red arrow.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Should School Board Members Be Paid? More Districts Are Trying It Out
Some school boards are trying to attract more diverse candidate slates. But it's still unknown whether paying members helps.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 14, 2023
6 min read
Anthony Bruno, a student at Washington Junior High School, uses the unlocking mechanism as he leaves classes for the day to open the bag that his cell phone was sealed in during the school day on Oct. 27, 2022, in Washington, Pa. Citing mental health, behavior and engagement as the impetus, many educators are updating cellphone policies, with a number turning to magnetically sealing pouches.
Anthony Bruno, a student at Washington Junior High School in Washington, Pa., uses the unlocking mechanism as he leaves classes for the day to open the bag that his cellphone was sealed in during class on Oct. 27, 2022, in Washington, Pa. Citing mental health, behavior, and engagement as the impetus, many schools are more strictly limiting students' cellphone use.
Keith Srakocic/AP
Student Well-Being Cellphone Bans Can Ease Students' Stress and Anxiety, Educators Say
Minimizing distractions has been a common motivation for schools to limit phone use, but improving students’ mental health has been another.
Lauraine Langreo, October 16, 2023
7 min read
Phoenix Blalack, 6, works with a tutor on his laptop in his Indianapolis home on March 7, 2023.
Phoenix Blalack, 6, works with a tutor on his laptop in his Indianapolis home on March 7, 2023.
AJ Mast/AP
Budget & Finance Tutoring Can Be Costly. Here's How to Make It Cost-Effective
As a federal funding cutoff looms, some districts are finding ways to make intensive tutoring sustainable.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 25, 2023
9 min read
McNichols Plaza second grade teacher Nicole Ralicke barricades a door in a Scranton High School classroom as the school goes into lockdown during an active shooter training exercise for Scranton School District teachers and staff with the Scranton Police Department in Scranton, Pa., on Sept. 6, 2022.
Teacher Nicole Ralicke practices barricading a door in a classroom during an active shooter training exercise for teachers and staff who work in the Scranton school district in Scranton, Pa., on Sept. 6, 2022.
Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP
School Climate & Safety How a New Training Eases Teachers' Anxiety About Emergency Drills
The training incorporates mental health support into emergency preparedness.
Madeline Will, August 25, 2023
7 min read
Students at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood eat lunch on Sept. 4, 2013.
Students at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood eat lunch on Sept. 4, 2013.
Steven Senne/AP
States Massachusetts Joins Short List of States Providing Free School Meals to All
States are stepping in where federal COVID-relief aid dropped off.
Caitlyn Meisner, August 16, 2023
4 min read