Originally Posted on Another View on 11/28/2014. Written by Peter Huidekoper.
More federal dollars to Colorado for the School Improvement Grant? After $63 million, time to say: No thanks. We haven’t earned it.
You aren’t seriously going to argue that we should refuse another $5 or $6 million to improve our high-poverty, low-performing schools, are you? Who can argue with that?
Here is last January’s press release from the U.S. Department of Education, announcing that Colorado would—for the fifth straight year—receive a large grant.
U.S. Department of Education Announces Awards to 7 States to Continue Efforts to Turn Around Lowest-Performing Schools “U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that seven states will receive more than $39 million to continue efforts to turn around their persistently lowest-achieving schools through new awards from the Department’s School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. The states receiving these new awards are: Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.” (Jan. 27, 2014) (Bold mine) “… for the fourth straight year the Colorado Department of Education has not produced a report to tell us the results of its work.” “Turn Around.” “Lowest-achieving schools.”
The intent was always admirable—especially when we see the “poverty rates” (percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, FRL) at three of the schools that last year received three-year School Improvement Grants: Bruce Randolph in DPS (98% FRL), Scott Carpenter Middle School in Westminster (88%) and Aurora Central High (71%). This newsletter looks at the results of $2.34 million spent at these schools in 2013-14. Any signs of major change? None that I can see. To continue reading this report, click here.
To continue reading this report, click here.