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

Stay Sharp newsletter 10.22.20

Good morning, Colorado. Yesterday, we sent out our most recent research report, in which we analyzed existing research on “summer slide” to look into the potential COVID-19 learning loss. The “COVID Learning Loss: Recommendations To Improve Student Outcomes” report seeks to answer the question of how much learning loss are students experiencing due to learning disruptions. (Because, it’s…

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A+ Stay Sharp newsletter: 10.14.20

Good morning, Colorado. It’s been a big week for decisions affecting Denver’s students. Middle and High School students at DPS were scheduled to start transitioning to some in-person classroom time this week. Now, Nov. 9 is the earliest they would return to in-person learning. According to reporting by the Denverite, Superintendent Susana Cordova sent a…

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A+ Stay Sharp: 10.7.20

Good morning, Colorado. We’re on the other side of October Count – which will be a historical record of the number of children engaged with education during COVID-19 – although it will be averaged by a district’s enrollment in recent years according to the CDE. Denver Public Schools receives an average of $7,400 in per pupil operating revenue from…

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Do we know how many Colorado students aren’t engaged in learning as October Count starts?

Image via Pexels On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Gov. Jared Polis addressed citizens of Colorado with one message: Please enroll your child in school. “We know that the potential learning loss for our highest needs kids: English language learners, students with disabilities, low income students can have implications for years to come,” Polis said. “McKinsey &…

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A+ Stay Sharp: 9.24.2020

Good morning! We hope that in the midsts of serving the state of Colorado and our students, you’ll be able to get out and enjoy the golden leaves during this first week of fall. In this week’s Stay Sharp newsletter, you can find: A conversation with ALG and TEN about the challenges students are facing…

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Learn about the Colorado RISE Education Fund: $32.7 million toward learning during COVID-19

Image via Christina Morillo, Pexels Update: On Jan. 25, Colorado awarded the second round of the RISE grands, including $27 million in education grants to 19 programs aimed at helping students in communities hit hard by the pandemic, Gov. Jared Polis and state officials announced. Read the list of these grantees in this article by…

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A+ Stay Sharp: 9.17.2020

Tuesday evening, 60+ of you joined us, FaithBridge and Transform Education Now during the “Education Justice Now” webinar, about providing access to experts for families and education organizations serving students. Thank you to the panelists: – Virginia Wilson-Cobble from the U.S. Office for Civil Rights – Jessica Howard, ACLU of Colorado – Kate Gerald, Education Law Offices The conversation highlighted ways parents/guardians can navigate the educational…

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Op-ed: Time and Class Size. More important than the pay check?

Photo via Pexels  by Peter Huidekoper, Jr. Peter Huidekoper Jr. has been writing an education newsletter, Another View, for over 20 years. Peter has authored a number of opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines. He is the Coordinator for the Colorado Education Policy Cohort. For 18 years he taught and coached in middle and high…

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A+ Stay Sharp: 9.10.2020

Good morning during this snowy, short week. The A+ team in collaboration with FaithBridge and Transform Education Now would like to personally invite you to a free, virtual event we’re hosting next week. The “Education Justice Now” webinar on September 15th from 7-8 p.m., will provide access to experts for families and education organizations serving students. Focused around the question “what are…

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Rural Invisibility: Ignoring the Educational Needs of Nine Million American Students

School buses in a parking lot. / Image via Kelly Lacey on Pexels Rural Invisibility: Ignoring the Educational Needs of Nine Million American Students By Dr. Kristina A. Hesbol There are more students attending American rural schools than all the students in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and the next 85 largest school districts combined…

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