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

After five years of Boasberg administration, cheers and jeers have piled up for Denver schools

Originally Posted by Chalkbeat Colorado on March 25, 2014. Copyright © co.chalkbeat.org. Written by Nicholas Garcia. Read here. Superintendent, observers reflect on five years of successes, struggles; leader optimistic of work ahead with new board “If I’ve done a decent job, Tom will do an even better job.” — U.S. Sen Michael Bennet When former Denver…

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Announcing: The A+ Denver 2013 Game Changers!

Correction: In our original note, we incorrectly cited that GVE moved from “Red” to “Green,” when in reality it moved from “Yellow” to “Blue.” A remarkable feat. Our apologies for the mistake. —– While we often talk about how Denver schools need improvement, we also happily acknowledge that there are incredible developments underway.  Our 2013…

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Announcing: The A+ Denver 2013 Game Changers!

Correction: In our original note, we incorrectly cited that GVE moved from “Red” to “Green,” when in reality it moved from “Yellow” to “Blue.” A remarkable feat. Our apologies for the mistake. —– While we often talk about how Denver schools need improvement, we also happily acknowledge that there are incredible developments underway.  Our 2013…

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Community input, teacher voice drive overhaul at a struggling elementary school

Originally Posted by Chalkbeat Colorado on March 11, 2014. Copyright © co.chalkbeat.org. Written by Kate Schimel. Read here.   When district officials threatened to replace the entire staff of Ashley Elementary, Donna Simms went with other parents to the school board to protest. “The way they came in and said, ‘this is what’s happening and this…

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February Newsletter: Keeping you informed about A+ Denver

What’s happening around town Bouts over new state standards, tenure Two issues at the heart of education tensions across the country are the Common Core and teacher tenure. Colorado, New York, and Los Angeles are all engaged in very public debates and lawsuits over these issues. We raise these issues again here (you heard from…

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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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