In the News
United Way will turn Pikes Peak Elementary into a resource center for Southeast families
Pikes Peak United Way is set to turn Pikes Peak Elementary School into a Family Success Center, offering services to the Southeast community. The center will open in August 2022, but it’s an idea that’s “been… […]
State of Emergency: How Youth Mental Health Became Its Own Epidemic
How far we’ve come and how far we still have to go for understanding, destigmatizing and treating youth mental health. […]
Mental Health for Kids: The Need and the Challenge, at Times, to Fill It
Trauma and mental health struggles can affect anyone for a long period of time in his or her life, but when those traumatic events happen to a child, access to mental health care becomes all… […]
21st Century Grants Benefit Cortez, Mancos Schools
School Community Youth Collaborative, a nonprofit striving to provide development opportunities for local youths, was granted two 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants that began disbursing monthly funds July 1. The grants will fund programs at Mancos… […]
Anti-Bullying Law Signed, Two Years After Boy’s Suicide
After Jack Padilla, a freshman at Cherry Creek High School, took his own life in February 2019, his father, Rick Padilla, made it his mission to make a difference in the lives of youths who… […]
Bennet, King, Portman Announce Major Bipartisan Legislation to Bridge Digital Divide
U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced major bipartisan legislation to provide $40 billion in flexible funding to states, Tribal governments, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia to… […]
Student-Organized COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Colorado High School Gives Out Over 800 Shots
A group of students at a Colorado high school took matters into their own hands to curb the spread of COVID-19 in their community, turning their school into a vaccine clinic and administering over 800… […]
Is remote learning here to stay? Many, but not all, Colorado schools will offer online classes this fall.
Thanks to online programs and open enrollment policies, remote learning won’t entirely disappear from Colorado schools next year or even once cohorting and social distancing have become practices of the past. […]
Area Youth Vape, Smoke at Alarming Rates
In 2019, one in four Colorado youths reported vaping, and in Montezuma County, the numbers were even higher: 38.9% of our high school students reported vaping in the past 30 days. […]
How Colorado Schools are Helping Teenagers — and Their Families — Get the COVID Vaccine
When the Social Justice Club at Aurora’s Rangeview High School held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for fellow students earlier this month, half of the 422 people who lined up for shots were teenagers taking advantage… […]
Returning this Fall, By Popular Demand: Virtual School. For Communities of Color, it’s Largely a Matter of Trust
One recent Ipsos/NPR poll found that nearly 30 percent of parents would rely on virtual learning “indefinitely” going forward. That suggests a potential market of more than 15 million students. Districts are listening. […]
At Mitchell High School In Colorado Springs, Teacher Home Visits Aren’t About Grades At All. They’re About Trust.
Before the pandemic hit, staff at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs wanted to form deeper connections with their students and families — many of whom are in low income households. So, while sticking with… […]
Students in Colorado Get Postcards From Around the World, Written by People They’ve Never Met
COVID meant none of the usual field trips, so a teacher at Dos Rios Elementary in Northern Colorado created a way to explore the world. […]
‘Gives Them a Leg Up’: Celebrating National Kindergarten Day Locally
SVVSD has been celebrating kindergarten for over a decade since it standardized full day kindergarten as an option for local families in 2010, Lauer said. During this time, the district has incorporated more kindergarten classrooms… […]
Parents Launch Support Group to Help ‘Neuro-Diverse’ Children
Faced with a lack of local resources, Bayfield families created their own resource-sharing group to better support children with conditions such as autism, attention deficit disorder or Tourette syndrome. The group, called the Parenting Information… […]
Montrose School District Partnering to Help Homeless Kids
A pilot program is being launched to support homeless children in the Montrose County School District (MCSD.) MCSD is partnering with Housing Resources of Western Colorado (HRWC) and Hilltop Community Resources to assist with housing… […]
Colorado is on Track to give Teens Three Free Therapy Sessions to Help Them Cope with Coronavirus
Every Coloradan age 18 and younger would have access to a free mental health screening and as many as three free subsequent visits with a mental health professional under a new, bipartisan bill at the… […]
Tech Equity, Remote Lessons and Learning Loss: Education Conversations from March 2021
As COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out on a wider scale in March, the discussions on K-12 education, and beyond, continued to shift to a “what’s next” approach. Reflection on the one-year anniversary of the sudden… […]
‘All Kinds Of Trauma’: Students Are Returning To School, But Are We Ready To Help Them Cope?
Rosalinda Guzman was inside a bathroom stall at school when something begged for attention. It was on the door, where the school posts announcements. “That little tiny piece of paper was just so different from… […]
Where Have All the Kindergartners Gone?
Five years old and already knowing her letters and basic subtraction, Annika Dunlap sat down in late August for her first day of kindergarten. Her mom helped her log in. Ninety minutes later, kindergarten was… […]
What I Learned During the Pandemic
17 students, kindergarten through high school, on their schools, their teachers, their families and their country. Recently, we interviewed students from across the country about their educational experiences, and their lives, during the pandemic. Some… […]
Event Center or Pavilion? MCSD Leverages Community Partnerships During Search for Alternative Learning Sites
Work remains ongoing as leadership with the Montrose County School District collaborate with community partners to identify appropriate off-campus facilities for learning ahead of secondary students’ return to 100% in-person instruction. […]
Special Education Teachers, Families Stress Working Together to Ensure Student Success
As schools work to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher burnout remains a top concern, especially for those in special education. Prompting educators to publish new research that offers tips and strategies that hinge on… […]
Bayfield Schools Receive $328,000 to Improve Broadband Access
The Bayfield School District will be able to improve student access to broadband with an award of $328,000 in state funding announced last week. Broadband has become an even more vital utility during the coronavirus… […]
It’s Been One Year Since Students Started Widespread Distance Learning
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged across Colorado, hundreds of thousands of the state’s schoolchildren were stuck at home, learning in basements and at kitchen tables. What does this past year mean for their futures—and for… […]
Colorado School Districts Look at Summer School as Option to Make up for Learning Loss
Now that most school districts in Colorado have resumed some level of in-person learning, questions are turning to how much learning students lost this year, and how to catch up. One idea that’s gaining traction… […]
Longmont, Colo., Addresses Student Broadband Lack With Grant
A $1.3 million grant from a state program is helping the city of Longmont, Colo., expand broadband Internet service to K-12 students who are currently enrolled in the National School Lunch Program. […]
‘Culture is Prevention’: Jeffco School District Uses Traditions To Curb Indigenous Teen Drug Use
Every two years, the state conducts the Healthy Kids Colorado survey. It asks teens questions about a range of topics, from their health and home life to substance abuse. Data from the 2019 survey, taken… […]
Soroco Schools Get $2.9M to Expand Broadband Access for Students, Nearly 1,200 Homes in South Routt
For ninth-grade student Larhae Whaley, online classes are tough, mainly because she has trouble getting online. “Our WiFi does not work great, and it’s kind of sketchy. It has its own mood of when it… […]
Colorado Educators, Community Leaders Uniting for “Summer Recovery Coalition” to Address Learning Loss
As some school districts begin to consider summer school to help with learning loss, Colorado educators and community leaders are banding together for a unique summer initiative. […]
Denver Principals Send City Leaders Letter To End Flavored Tobacco Sales
A group of Denver Public School principals want the city to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products. Two dozen middle and high school principals and school directors sent a letter to Mayor Michael… […]
Lawmakers, educational authorities begin looking into innovative options for summer learning
Education is top-of-mind for lawmakers on both sides of the aisles this year. With many students falling behind due to virtual learning, a big question for a lot of parents and educators alike is: What… […]
Gov. Jared Polis Called On By Education Advocates To Tackle Learning Loss This Summer
It’s hard to imagine summer in the middle of a cold front, but the Colorado Education Initiative is looking ahead and asking the state to consider summer recovery for students. […]
Students asking for help bringing $75,000 Black history curriculum to their school
After advocating for Black history curriculum in Denver Public Schools, four students are nearing their goal. One local donor is the first to join their final push. […]
What does a “recovery summer” look like? It could include summer academies focused on more than classes.
“Other focus areas include allocating funding directly to families — in a limited way for summer months — so that all children can access summer enrichment and partnering with the state to launch “a one-stop-shop,”… […]
Schools teach and feed students. As hunger rises, Colorado is racing to ensure kids eat this summer.
Many Colorado students are hungry to return to their classrooms and resume some sense of normalcy after almost a year of coping with the pandemic. And many of those students are just plain hungry. It’s… […]
Colorado Education Initiative