Not long ago, I found a statistic that blew my mind: 104 of 178 school districts in Colorado operate on a four-day school week. My brain started to race in an effort to address two key questions: What could we do with that extra day? And how could we help districts and administrators do more for kids? I came up…
Category: Policy
Our Graduation Requirements Are Doing a Disservice to Students Who Want to Serve in the Military
For the most part, state legislators and the Department of Education have maintained high standards for students in Colorado by requiring students to meet a variety of graduation requirements and benchmarks that prove they’re ready for success in college and career. But, are we challenging students who want to go into the armed forces with the same rigor as those…
To say ‘we strike for our students’ is compelling but it’s also misleading
Moments after Gov. Polis declined to intervene in the impending Denver teacher strike, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) took to Twitter to make their own announcement. “February 11th we strike for our students.” #FakeNews. Don’t get me wrong, good teachers deserve to be paid like doctors, lawyers, hell, even pro athletes. Like doctors and lawyers, teachers are dealing with…
Colorado’s Children Deserve Better Social Emotional Support
“Sam, what is wrong?” I ask as my six-year-old student hangs his head during writing, tears streaming down his face. It’s the morning after the midterms. Sam’s got his hands covering his face and he’s barely nodding to communicate. Sam has a history of emotional trauma. His biological mother abandoned him and he has ADHD. He goes from manic moments…
It shouldn’t be over ‘til the students really have a say
For months, I’ve been meeting with other student leaders about the search for a new superintendent of Denver Public Schools (DPS). We testified in front of the Board of Education multiple times, asking for two basic things: first, that the Board announce multiple finalists for a superintendent and second, that students be allowed to interview them before a selection is…