These posts are the opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of A+ Colorado.
As education reform goes, it’s a dramatic story. Small, inner-ring suburban school district lands $2.6 million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant and national attention. District’s model of radical restructuring causes constructive disruption, and attracts top talent. Where does Mapleton Public Schools stand just over a decade into its “Choices for Learning” reform effort? Have…
Welcome to Denver Public Schools’ annual checkup, where A+ Colorado (formerly A+ Denver) takes an in-depth look at student achievement in our state’s largest district. Now that the Denver 2020 Strategic Plan is in place, DPS has a clear set of achievement targets against which it can be measured. This report reviews progress toward each…
Introducing: The A+ 2015 Game Changers Each year we reflect on the incredible work that has been done by educators and education advocates around Colorado. The nominations from friends and colleagues for the 2015 A+ Game Changer Award remind us that the energy and passion for improving public education is alive and well in Colorado.…
APS’ innovation zone may offer a chance for dramatic change for Aurora’s kids–a dramatic change that kids in Aurora desperately need. A+ Colorado is deeply committed to ensuring that students in Aurora have increased access to effective schools, so we took the opportunity to review the innovation plans and write a letter to the APS…
Just over three years ago, A+ Denver convened a group of arts experts (the 2012 Arts Task Force) to examine the state of arts education in Denver Public Schools (DPS). They initially met for two reasons: 1) arts education appeared to be on shaky footing in DPS, despite a healthy conservatory program that few DPS…
This report focuses on Urban Land Conservancy’s work with school facilities, in most cases charter schools, to identify suitable properties to buy or lease in neighborhoods that lack strong traditional public school options. Since its founding in 2004, ULC has worked, with varying levels of intensity, with more than a dozen schools in search of…
Urban Land Conservancy has found that the current method of funding facilities for charter schools in Colorado is spotty at best. But it needn’t be this way. In fact, funders and charter school advocates have been working for some time on creation of a more cohesive system that, while it wouldn’t completely solve the problem,…
This map of Aurora Public Schools and surrounding district schools, displays the 2015 Colorado School Grades rating for each school. This map was made in partnership with the Data Initiative at Gary Community Investments. About Colorado School Grades: Colorado School Grades is presented by a coalition of 18 non-profit community organizations that believe all children…
A graphic analysis of Aurora Public Schools’ performance on state tests in 2015.
How the pieces of the New Legacy Charter School project fell into place makes for a compelling story. It provides a clear illustration of just how difficult it is for new charter schools to find a home, and how desperately the charter sector needs a more sensible and sustainable facilities solution if it is to…