Community Choice Programs: The Future of Energy in Colorado?
The purpose of this blog post is not to state the Independence Institute’s position on Community Choice Energy Programs (CCE). It is, however, written to help foster a better understanding of CCEs and Representative Hooton’s bill HB20-1064: “Public Utilities Commission Study of Community Choice Energy.” If the bill passes, it will not revolutionize the way […]
Ripe for Change: It’s Time to Consider Microgrids
Fourth article in our series about microgrids. What received a D+ rating and is in need of major updates and improvements? No, not the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff! The answer is the U.S. electric grid. The United States electric grid is still an engineering marvel, but much of it was built before the twenty-first century, […]
Microgrid Technology: The Option for the Individual
Third article in our series about microgrids By Casey Freeman The combination of new technology and the free market has given average people access to goods and services that until recently were readily available only to the upper echelons of society. For example, ordering a nice car to your door to chauffer you around town […]
New Research Shows Negative Union Impact on Education Outcomes
Starting discussions about the role and effects of teachers unions certainly is one way of pouring cold water on a party or social event. A lot of the topics surrounding K-12 education policy and reform can be emotionally charged. But if you want to step back from the heated discussions and consider what the research […]
Ugly Smear Column Tries, Fails to Shove Conservative Education Reform Aside
I hope you all enjoyed a nice, long break from recent depressing edu-happenings over the last few days. I also hope that your disappointment is tempered by hope for the future. As my friend Ross Izard pointed out in a recent op-ed—and as my dad always says—it ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. I never have […]
Yes, Election Night Happened, But Keep Your Chins Up, Colorado Reformers
Yeah, yeah, yeah, school board elections happened in Colorado this week. Ok, so I promised to give you a full report yesterday. But I got a little busy crying in my Cheerios with some important stuff to do. Do I really need to review what happened with the Teachers Union Empire Strikes Back? After all, […]
Don’t Fall Victim to MisNAEPery
It’s NAEP season, my friends. The 2015 National Assessment of Education Progress results were released this week to a barrage of spin, rhetoric, and general “misNAEPery.” I’ve mostly seen this misNAEPery pop up in the form of certain folks using the data to show that education reform efforts aren’t working. (For now, we’ll ignore the […]
Look Under the District 38 School Board Campaign Mask
The week of Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I can practically taste the candy in my mouth right now. One of the perks of being a perpetual 5-year-old is the unending chance to go Trick-or-Treat year after year without any sense of self-consciousness or guilt. It also happens to be […]
Get Past the High Drama and Give Reform a Chance to Succeed
Some days I wish that improving schools for all students and giving all families access to the best educational options were easier to accomplish. But change can be difficult, especially when self-interested groups have their power and prestige at stake. Emotions are tense and high in Jefferson County, where a fact-challenged, union-backed recall election against […]
‘Tis the Season for Wild and Woolly School Board Election Stories
There’s no season like school board election season. At least not in Colorado. Believe it or not, these are real stories. As my dad is fond of saying, “You can’t make this up.” Let’s start in Jeffco, where the Denver Post shattered to pieces the whole justification for a politically motivated recall election. A video […]
New Survey, Research Point to Need for Balanced Computer Use in Learning
Given the prodigious quantity of blogging here, some may find the contents of this particular post somewhat hypocritical, or perhaps just a little bit ironic. But I certainly strive to keep things interesting. Once upon a time, you heard quite a bit more from little Eddie about blended learning — though recently my eyebrows have […]
Thompson Majority Fights On for Local Control
Most of you probably remember that there’s sort of a thing going on in Thompson School District. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an understatement. In actuality, Thompson now stands alongside Jefferson County as ground zero for one of the most important education battles in Colorado. More specifically, Thompson has been engaged in an ugly […]
