“Race to the Top” Consensus Approach Disappoints: Who Really Wins?
Yesterday the state of Colorado turned in its Race to the Top grant funding application to the U.S. Department of Education. Missing the opportunity to do something bold, Colorado instead opted for “consensus” and “collaboration” — as reported by Jeremy Meyer in the Denver Post. Some of my older friends in the Education Policy Center […]
Colorado Legislative Session off to Blazing Fast Start on Education Bills
Today is the start of Colorado’s legislative session, and the people under the Golden Dome are wasting no time getting to work on education issues. With Race to the Top deadlines looming, lawmakers are working to speed some bills through the process.
Right now, the Senate Education Committee is considering Senate Bill 36 — which […]
Just How Tired Will Colorado Legislators Be of Education Reform?
Two days from now Colorado’s state legislature starts the 2010 session. And with a recession cutting into tax revenues, many lawmakers will show up without the enthusiasm to create new programs or boost spending on existing programs. As legislative sessions go, this one has a particularly strange character about it. Tough and unpleasant decisions will […]
Stop! The “Witch-Hunt” Attacks on Charter Schools Really Creep Me Out
Okay, this is hard for me to admit because you’ll probably make fun of me. Here goes: I’m afraid of witches. Yeah, they really creep me out, especially that cackling old hag on the Wizard of Oz. But I learned about something this week that frightened me about as much, and that was an attempted […]
Colorado Still Strong in Charter School Law, But There’s Room to Improve
Every year the Center for Education Reform rates the quality of different states’ charter school laws based on their flexibility and equity. This week they released the new edition, and the news again is good for Colorado — one of only 13 states with “strong laws that do not require significant revisions.”
But I’m never satisfied […]
Maybe Cary Kennedy Can Have It Both Ways; I Don’t Want to Be a Politician
State Treasurer Cary Kennedy seems like a nice lady, and I think it must be hard being a politician in such an office — especially during the tough budget times faced by state government and the difficult decisions that requires. But does the current budget reality mean Treasurer Kennedy can have it both ways?
As the […]
Arizona Shows K-12 Tax Credit Program Saves State Millions of Dollars
Should Colorado enact a K-12 scholarship tax credit program that empowers families to choose private schools? It may sound crazy politically, yet the idea would make sense not only to expand choice for families but also to help the state save money during an especially tough budget year.
What, you say, you don’t believe that it […]
