DeGrow Comments on Jeffco School Board Change
On the November 6 edition of 9 News, senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow shared his thoughts on where Jefferson County Schools might go in the wake of a surprising election of three conservative reform candidates to the five-member board: …he does not believe that everything happening in Douglas County will make its way into […]
Amy Oliver Show: Amendment 66 Goes Down, Reformers Win School Board Seats
Ben DeGrow reviews the good news from election night, including the demise of Amendment 66 and the strong showing of many pro-reform school board candidates across Colorado.
New NAEP Math and Reading Scores Leave Me Longing for More Reform
The elections are over. I’m out from underneath the rock. It’s nice to see the sunshine again, to see that Amendment 66 was rejected (let’s think Kids Are First instead), and the reform message carried many major school board races. Time to shift gears, though, with the release of 2013 results from NAEP, the nation’s […]
DeGrow Points Out Late Challenges for Amendment 66 Tax Hike
As decision day for Colorado’s Amendment 66 approaches, senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow talked with national reporters about the serious challenges of persuading voters to adopt a billion-dollar tax increase. Associated Press reporter Kristin Wyatt quoted his “confident” reaction: “They’re starting out with a huge financial advantage, but they are pushing a boulder uphill […]
Many Rural Districts Like Four -Day School Week, No Reason for Amendment 66
Out on the campaign trail advocating for Amendment 66 (the election is over tomorrow… YAY!), state senator Michael Johnston (D-Denver) has used a variety of points to make the case for the billion-dollar statewide tax increase. One that showed up in a recent email report would be one that many Denver-area residents might gloss over. […]
Building on Colorado Evaluation Reform Doesn’t Need Billion-Dollar Tax Hike
The final reckoning day for Amendment 66 is almost upon us. Almost past are the hard press of empty promises and the creative reform bait and switch. What am I talking about? Senate Bill 191′s new (and hopefully improved) system of teacher and principal evaluations is going into place right now. We’re told the tax […]
Weld County School Districts Stand Out on Safety, Fiscal Sanity, Sound Policy
It’s pretty rare to see a geographically-themed post like this one here. While Weld County has become a focus for some about a debate to secede and create a 51st state, more interesting to me is a series of stories that set apart a number of the county’s school districts. The 12 school districts in […]
Teachers Union Leaders Miscalculate in Adams 12, Misbehave in DougCo
The campaign silly season just got sillier. A union-backed school board candidate in Adams 12 was just ruled to be ineligible for office because she lives outside the correct district boundaries. To think, two weeks ago she was most famous for subjecting her toddler son to a Klingon language immersion program. Yesterday’s unexpected development makes […]
Lingering Doubts in Preschool Research Give Greater Pause about Amendment 66
One of the honest promises put forth by Amendment 66 supporters is that a portion of the funds will go to expanding preschool access for low-income families. The publicly-funded Colorado Preschool Program touts research that shows it’s making a positive difference. But a new Time column by Kay Hymowitz (H/T Joanne Jacobs) reminds us what […]
Benigno Tells 9 News Viewers: Let’s Raise Expectations, Not Taxes
On the October 25 edition of Denver’s 9 News, Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno explained why Colorado’s billion-dollar income tax hike to fund K-12 education doesn’t guarantee better results: Benigno and the Independence Institute are against the passage of Amendment 66. She says history shows improving schools is more closely related to a change […]
Democrat Groff Backs Dougco Reform, as Vote Fraud Talk Enters Election Fray
Several weeks ago I warned you about the onset of the campaign “silly season.” But then sometimes, like the last 24 hours or so, we get to see how seriously a local school board race can be taken. So seriously, it would seem, that a supporter of the union-backed Douglas County school board candidates was […]
Give Teachers Real Membership Choices Minus the Shame and Inconvenience
Michigan Capitol Confidential recently featured a story about teachers union leaders apparently intimidating several educators who opted out of membership after the state adopted its right-to-work law: The MEA 17-B/C union newsletter listed the name of 16 employees from four school districts in the U.P. who decided against paying dues or fees to the union […]
