Chalkbeat Colorado | Erica Meltzer “The new proposal would reduce the amount available for refunds, but taxpayers would still get money back in boom years.” Meltzer discusses an initiative placed on the November ballot that could generate between $820 million and $1.1 billion for K-12 schools without raising taxes. This is the fifth attempt in…
How to Help Colorado Student Teachers Across the Finish Line? Pay Them.
Chalkbeat Colorado | Erica Meltzer “House Bill 1220 would provide stipends to student teachers, who currently have to work for free while still paying tuition, and would provide alternative ways to prove mastery of teacher training requirements.” The House of Education Committee approved House Bill 1220 in early March, which would provide teacher candidates a…
Child Care Worker Shortage Strands Half a Million Families
CNN Business | Alicia Wallace “While the child care and early education industry need more workers, some significant barriers persist, notably low pay and health risks associated with the ongoing pandemic.” The shortage of child care staff workers is ongoing as the pandemic has led to parents continuing to stay home or work in a…
New Teachers Need Experienced Mentors
Chalkbeat Colorado | Madison Stockton “My experience highlights that new teachers need strong mentors — especially now, given the chronic uncertainty COVID has unleashed.” Stockton explains how her personal teaching experience and the lack of resources given to her mentor teacher has proved that new teachers need strong mentors in order to succeed. She also…
Inside Colorado’s Kindergarten Enrollment Rebound: Simple Numbers, Complicated Stories
Chalkbeat Colorado | Ann Schimke “The rebound hasn’t restored statewide kindergarten enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, but the trend line is positive.” The second year of the pandemic saw many young students returning to public schools. Schimke explores the rise and decline of both kindergarten and first grade enrollment, and the factors causing these enrollment rates…
The Stigma is Winning: Parents Strain to Juggle Jobs and Their Kids’ Mental Health
The Washington Post | Erin Blakemore “New research suggests that a greater number of working parents have children with mental health challenges than previously known — and that their work lives are profoundly affected by the demands of children in crisis.” Blakemore explores the many difficulties that parents of children with mental health challenges have…
Denver Public Schools Turns to Federal COVID-19 Relief Money to Avoid Layoffs
The Denver Post | Jessica Seaman “DPS, the state’s largest school district, is facing funding cuts as enrollment in schools is expected to decline in the coming years.” Seaman discusses the continued decline in enrollment at Denver Public Schools, ultimately leading to funding cuts across the district and the need for use of the COVID-19…
US Schools Failing in Fight Against Youth Mental Health Crisis
USA Today | Alia Wong “The vast majority of states lack the recommended ratios of school mental health professionals, including counselors, psychologists and social workers.” A first-of-its-kind report card released last week shows that all 50 states are failing to implement at least some of the policies that enable schools to fulfill the roles of…
COVID-19 Stress Has Been ‘Next Level’ for Parents of Young Children in Preschool, Child Care
The Aspen Times | Kaya Williams “There are so many factors that have contributed to the disaster, the crisis that child care is in America right now, and we are just one slice of it.” The stress of the coronavirus pandemic on teachers and the effect that has on their own children has continued across…
California Ready to Launch $3 Million, Multiyear Transition to Community Schools
EdSource | John Fensterwald “It’s about creating a school with a caring environment in every respect, one that is connected to families.” Several thousand schools in low-income neighborhoods are being transformed into community centers that provide important services for both families and students. Fensterwald explains what needs to be done to get these community schools…
