Hey, Colorado: Billion Dollar K-12 Tax Hike OR End the Education Plantation?

by Eddie | 1:27 pm, April 15, 2013

Often it’s very easy to get bogged down in a big education policy debate like Colorado’s SB 213 school finance reform proposal. Then along comes a Denver Post op-ed piece by a motivated citizen that exhales a breath of fresh air: Colorado currently spends about $10,600 per student per year on K-12 education. You can [...]

Scholarship Tax Credits Could Help Denver, Aurora HS Students Overcome Challenges

by Eddie | 11:05 am, April 12, 2013

For those who long have rolled up their sleeves to try to improve student learning, the cause of urban high school reform remains one of the most daunting tasks. Even in areas where the most concentrated and sustained efforts at reform have taken place, the promising results have been very limited. Enter a brand new [...]

Parent Power in Colorado: Aiming to Join or Surpass the Dazzling Dozen

by Eddie | 11:47 am, April 10, 2013

Has it really been more than six whole months since the Hollywood movie Won’t Back Down hit the Denver and national scene. While not a blockbuster success, the parent power-themed, feature-length film certainly raised the profile of K-12 education reform. Two moms took charge and took on the bureaucracy and union opposition to change the [...]

Here’s Hoping for a Real Common Core Debate… and Some Real School Choice

by Eddie | 4:29 pm, April 8, 2013

More than two-and-a-half years ago, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted the Common Core standards. Just this last December the State Board took another careful look at the decision, as this School Reform News article by my Education Policy Center friend notes. For a number of reasons, the issue has gained greater national notoriety [...]

Let’s Not Allow Test Cheating Scandals to Lead to Faulty Conclusions

by Eddie | 1:41 pm, April 4, 2013

Let’s go over it again: Standardized tests are far from the be-all and end-all of education. But if we’re not going to put money in student backpacks and make schools directly accountable to parents, how can such assessments NOT be used as a key component of measuring student progress, teacher effectiveness, and school quality? If [...]

Well, Teachers Union Leaders Could Use a New Argument Against School Choice

by Eddie | 2:47 pm, April 3, 2013

Take your hats off to those teachers union officials, they sure know how to plan ahead sometimes. The Education Intelligence Agency’s Mike Antonucci brings our attention to a PBS Newshour clip in which NEA president Dennis Van Roekel tried to respond to a question about why private educational choice works at the college level but [...]

Change of Heart on Choice, Reform, Funding, and Unions: Time for Ed Is Playing!!

by Eddie | 12:18 pm, April 1, 2013

It’s been several days since I’ve had a chance to write here. The end of my spring break provided a lot of time for reflection on some issues that really have been bothering me. Now that I’ve had time to re-evaluate my well-known positions on some key education issues, I feel it is my obligation [...]

Indiana Supreme Court Ruling a True, Lasting March Madness Victory for Kids

by Eddie | 11:45 am, March 26, 2013

Update, 3/27: For more perspective on the magnitude of yesterday’s court victory, read this redefinED commentary by Institute for Justice attorney Bert Gall, who argued the Indiana case. I’m feeling just a little jealous of Indiana today. Just a little now–this is Colorado after all. I’m not talking about the fact that the Hoosiers made [...]

All This Talk about Course Choice Makes Colorado Debates Seem So 20th Century

by Eddie | 3:11 pm, March 25, 2013

While the big school finance reform legislation at the Colorado State Capitol explores reshuffling the dollars in a 20th century system — and dashing my youthful hopes along the way — other states continue to plow ahead with the idea of course choice. Students are enabled to customize their education by choosing courses regardless of [...]

New Digital Learning Report Card Charts Familiar Path for Colorado to Improve

by Eddie | 12:13 pm, March 22, 2013

It’s time to send Colorado home with another report card (figuratively, I mean — not sure how you would do that literally). Back in January I pointed out the release of 3 national education policy report cards. Colorado got a C from Student First for some key teacher and choice policies, a B from the [...]

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