Blog posts are the opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of A+ Colorado.

Carroll: Douglas County’s dubious mutiny over Colorado school testing

Originally Posted by The Denver Post on February 14, 2014. Copyright © denverpost.com. Written by Vincent Carroll. Read here.   If someone had predicted a few years ago that Douglas County would emerge as the center of backlash against Colorado’s system of annual standardized testing, you’d have scoffed — and maybe offered a primer on education…

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2014 Legislation Alert: Mutual Consent, Common Core, and Accountability

Dear Members and Friends, Denver Public Schools has its faults, a fact we rarely fail to point out. However, it also deserves praise and support. Student achievement has increased at a historic rate, dropout rates have decreased, and more students are in top-rated schools than ever before. These gains are a result of Denver’s ability…

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Teachers union sues Denver Public Schools over measure in reform law

Originally Posted by The Denver Post on January 29, 2014. Copyright © denverpost.com. Written by Zahira Torres and Kevin Simpson. Read here.   A class-action lawsuit filed by the Colorado Education Association on Wednesday challenges the state’s teacher effectiveness law, citing concerns with a provision that it says has allowed Denver Public Schools to edge out…

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Thoughts on choosing a good school

Originally Posted by Chalkbeat Colorado on January 27, 2014. Copyright © co.chalkbeat.org. Written by Van Schoales. Read here.   I’ve written before about the odds of getting into schools that have consistently high test scores. These are generally schools where parents are lining up to get their kids in—some even hiring consultants to help them navigate…

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Caldwell: Two new school boards’ mysterious agendas

Originally Posted by The Denver Post on January 25, 2014. Copyright © denverpost.com. Written by Alicia Caldwell. Read here. So many people showed up for a school board meeting in Loveland last month they had to sit on the floor and stand along the walls. Many of the roughly 400 people in attendance were angry,…

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January Newsletter: Keeping you informed about A+ Denver

What’s happening around town Manual High School Chalkbeat Colorado recently did an excellent job reporting on the most recent changes at Manual and the tragic history of the school in a four-part special series. A+ Denver’s Van Schoales commented on this issue in part one & two of the series and in the Denver Post.…

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Manual High principal out amid performance decline at Denver school

Originally Posted by The Denver Post on January 17, 2014. Copyright © denverpost.com. Written by Kevin Simpson. Read here. Denver’s beleaguered Manual High School named former middle school principal Don Roy to take over leadership a day after Brian Dale abruptly left the school, apparently at the district’s request. Dale has overseen the latest version of…

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Denver ‘innovation’ schools show mixed results

Originally Posted by Colorado Public Radio on January 14, 2014. Copyright © cpr.org. Written by Jenny Brundin. Read here. Public schools in Colorado that have greater control over hiring teachers, setting the school calendar and budgeting show slightly higher levels of student academic growth and high levels of teacher empowerment, according to a CU Denver report…

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Denver ‘innovation’ schools show mixed results

Originally Posted by Colorado Public Radio on January 14, 2014. Copyright © cpr.org. Written by Jenny Brundin. Read here. Public schools in Colorado that have greater control over hiring teachers, setting the school calendar and budgeting show slightly higher levels of student academic growth and high levels of teacher empowerment, according to a CU Denver report…

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Turnaround grants not paying off

Originally Posted by the Pueblo Chieftain on January 13, 2014. Copyright © chieftain.com. Written by Gayle Perez. Read here. Some of the state’s lowest performing schools — including several in Pueblo City Schools (D60) — are in worse shape today than before they received more than $60 million in federal grant money to improve achievement, a…

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