Colorado

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Colorado
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Frank Franklin II/AP
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words How This 'Goofy Science Teacher' Made It to the U.S. Open in Golf
High school science teacher and golf coach Colin Prater just played in one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 9, 2024
6 min read
The view over the shoulder of a high school student while he is holding a drone with the camera image showing on a laptop sitting on a nearby chair.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology What Drones Are Doing to Deliver Better Student Engagement
Working with drones can motivate students, as well as teach skills like coding, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Alyson Klein, June 25, 2024
2 min read
An illustration of a wallpaper of mobile phones, some off, some turned over with stickers on the back covers and some missing with just an outline where they once were.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy One School Leader Banned Cellphones, the Other Embraced Them. What Worked?
Two principals describe their dramatically different policies on cellphones and how they are working.
Arianna Prothero, May 14, 2024
7 min read
Thank you graphic for service workers in schools including bus drivers, custodians, and  lunch workers.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management What Schools Can Do to Make Sure Support Staff Feel Appreciated
Support staff ensure schools are functioning. Here are five tips to help them feel as if they're an integral part of the school community.
Caitlynn Peetz & Laura Baker, April 26, 2024
4 min read
Emmanuel Trujillo-Beas, family liaison at Marie L. Greenwood Early-8, talks with other school liaisons during a group discussion at Lowery Conference Center on March 13, 2024 in Denver. One of the goals of the meeting was to discuss how schools can better integrate new students and families into the district. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have served 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.
Emmanuel Trujillo-Beas, family liaison at Marie L. Greenwood Early-8, talks with other school liaisons during a group discussion at Lowery Conference Center on March 13, 2024, in Denver. One of the goals of the meeting was to discuss how schools can better integrate new students and families into the district. Denver Public Schools has seen thousands of new students enroll this school year, many from families who recently arrived in the United States. The district has used a variety of strategies to build relationships with those families.
Rebecca Slezak for Education Week
Families & the Community Download DOWNLOADABLE: Best Practices for Building School-Family Relationships
Here are five ways to ensure schools are building trusting, long-lasting relationships with families.
Libby Stanford & Gina Tomko, April 25, 2024
1 min read
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