Blog posts are the opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of A+ Colorado.
Last month, I had the pleasure of moderating a discussion on the “Teaching of Empathy” at the Denver Biennial of the Americas. It was a powerful reminder that the heart of teaching begins with empathy. The Biennial is a magical gathering of artists and activist leaders from across the Americas that happens in Denver every…
Discussions have been swirling at the state and district levels about school data and accountability over the last few months. Accountability, for those who may not know, is a term for measuring how well a school is doing and what should be done or celebrated about these rankings. These discussions cut to the core of…
What defines Latinidad? It’s a complicated question with a problematic answer. Amidst “Hispanic Heritage Month” it seems to me that, increasingly, labels are both empowering and constraining. This month is a reminder of the power of the Hispanic and Latinx community, a celebration of changemakers, artists, and identity. It is also a reminder of the…
Denver Public Schools kicked off a nine-month committee process to evaluate and re-envision the district’s School Performance Framework (SPF). See the first meeting presentation here.
About A+ Colorado’s Community Engagement Blogs At A+ Colorado, it is incredibly important that we are engaged with the work and initiatives led by local grassroots organizations. A principle goal of our organization is to be involved and supportive of community led efforts. We strongly believe that one of the first steps to doing this…
The Colorado Youth Congress, an organization that trains diverse communities of young people to lead systems change, has been working closely with students for a Mental Health Campaign. Daijah Mijares-Morales, a student at DSST College View High School courageously testified to the Denver School Board in May on the issue of the lack of mental…
Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in a debate on private school vouchers in Chicago. The state of Illinois recently made a $100 million dollar bet to improve the educational outcomes for low-income students by establishing a tax credit scholarship program, that acts like a voucher, for low-income families to attend a private…
Teachers matter not only during Teacher Appreciation Week but every week, and A+ Colorado is grateful to the educators who work extremely hard to pave the way for our students. We asked our readers to share a short story of a teacher who is currently in the classroom and making a significant impact on the…
As first appeared in Education Week as Education Reform as We Know It Is Over. What Have We Learned? on 4/25/2019. Reprinted with permission from the author. The education reform movement as we have known it is over. Top-down federal and state reforms along with big-city reforms have stalled. The political winds for education change…
Originally appeared in PIE Network Post. Published online: April 19, 2019, as “Helping Families Choose: Advocates Discuss Open Enrollment in Colorado” Imagine a world where you could only go to the hospital closest to where you lived. For many situations, this might be just fine. Primary care and ER visits, in particular, are situations where minimizing…