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

A+ Colorado: Letters to Our Next Governor

A+ Colorado believes this fall’s gubernatorial race is one of the most critical elections in recent memory. That is why we’re dedicating space to it every month moving forward and publishing “Letters to Our Next Governor” from A+ Colorado and thought-leaders across the state.   Colorado has a critical election this fall determining who will…

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Closing the Gender Gap at the Superintendent Level

By Beth Dalton, AmeriCorps Vista at A+ Colorado Twelve school districts in Colorado are seeking new leaders.  While we believe that each school district should carefully select the candidate best qualified to serve their community, and that a person’s performance and not his or her race, gender, ethnicity, exceptionalities, sexual orientation, or creed should be…

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Where Should Send Your Child?  High School Choices Worth Exploring

We are in the midst of school choice season.  Thankfully, Colorado and many of Colorado’s large school districts have policies and practices that make it easier for families to find the public school that best meets their family needs. I wanted to pull together a list of high schools that families might consider as they…

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Driving Focus and Coherence in School Leadership

By Sean Precious, Instructional Superintendent at Denver Public Schools The fitness of focus and coherence in school leadership I tell people that I have one of the most enjoyable jobs in the world. After classroom teaching, coaching other teachers, and leading schools on the East Coast, I moved to Denver five years ago and am…

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Are Colorado’s Charter Schools Public?

In order to answer the question, it is important to define what is a public school.  There are many ways to answer the question from a legal, political, practice and mission perspective.  Some of these are easier to answer than others. The simple but incomplete answer per Colorado law, a public school “is a school…

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Disrupt Implicit Bias by Personalizing Your District

By Keara Duggan, Partner at Education Elements, and Dr. Landon Mascareñaz, Senior Partner for Advocacy and Alliances at A+ Colorado This blog originally appeared on January 24, 2018 on Education Elements Personalization is everywhere you turn today – from your online shopping recommendations to your daily coffee order. Some districts have realized the power of personalization and…

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Transformative Transitions: Fletcher & Rocky Mountain Prep

This article is the first part of a multi-part series on potentially transformative school improvement initiatives, leading up to A+ Colorado’s Turnaround Convening on May 4, 2018. Save the date and stay tuned for more information.   Purpose A+ Colorado is deeply committed to understanding and sharing research and best practice that has the potential…

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Robin Lake: Denver’s Storied Portfolio District Is Starting to Act Like Just Another City School System

By Robin Lake, Director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Affiliate faculty at the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell This blog originally appeared on January 17, 2018 on the The74. Denver Public Schools hosts endless visits from civic and district leaders looking for ways to reinvent public education.…

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Does Race Matter for Colorado’s Influential Education Organization Boards?

  As we enter another education policy season with hundreds of legislative bills designed to improve public education, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at who sits on some of the state’s most influential education organizations. Colorado is a diverse state with a growing number of non-white students (46%). Our largest…

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