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Invite to Join the  LWVCO Education Task Force

Education Task Force:  Action Plan for 2025

The Education Task Force addresses critical issues in Pre-K-12 and higher public education in collaboration with our LWVCO Legislative Action Committee (LAC).


This year will see many threats to public education at the local, state and federal levels so we are inviting each local League to have a representative present in addition to our current members to attend this first meeting to plan our 2025 Agenda. 

It is important to have local Leagues share educational issues and challenges in their communities with so that we can include them in our action plan. 


Please put the January 14,2025, LWVCO Educational Task Force Meeting at 5:30 pm on your calendar or sent a representative from you League. 

Thank you,

Dr. Barbara Whinery, Committee Chair

REGISTER NOW


EDUCATION TASK FORCE


PURPOSE: To promote the collective actions necessary to advance equity and justice in Colorado’s public education systems and policies as aligned with League positions.


The Education Task Force has been created and maintained to inform and engage members across the state to promote collective actions around public education as aligned with  stated League positions. By increasing the understanding and importance of Colorado’s educational systems and policies through study and presentations, the Education Task Force will influence public policy and legislation at all levels through advocacy, while speaking with one League voice. 


The Education Task Force coordinates with local Leagues and other organizations advocating for policies in the education arena. The Task Force organizes webinars, workshops and presentations on major topics of interest and promotes justice and equity in education through advocacy at all levels of government. The Education Task Force is closely aligned with the efforts of the LWVCO Legislative Action Committee and the LWVUS to ensure cohesion.


LEAGUE POSITIONS ON EDUCATION


LWVCO 2024-2025 Positions for Action
 Pages 74-79

LWVUS 2024-2026 Impact on Issues
 Pages 15, 149-151 & 152-153

COLORADO BOARD OF EDUCATION

Upcoming Board Meeting: 
January 8-9, 2025

Colorado State Board of Education

 

To watch the meeting online please go to:

http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeboard/watchlive


Click the links below to view the agenda:

Agenda for Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.



State Board Room

201 E. Colfax

Denver, CO 80203


To view additional state board meeting information, go to 
http://www.cde.state.co.us/index_sbe.htm.

If you require special accommodations or need more information, please contact the state board office at 
state.board@cde.state.co.us.

To request translation and/or interpretation for public in-person meetings and/or materials, please email 
state.board@cde.state.co.us. Please send all requests for interpreters to the state board within 48 hours before the meeting.

The CSBE holds special meetings between their regularly scheduled monthly meetings! Check their webpage for upcoming special meetings, so you can watch them live or the videos of the meetings.



School Board Observer Corps
We need League Observers for the Colorado Board of Education Meetings!
Observers will take notes of all or part of the proceedings for posting below.

To volunteer to join the LWVCO Colorado Board of Education Observer Corps, click here: 


Volunteer for the Colorado State Board of Education Observer Corps 



We also encourage League Observers to attend their local school board meetings and take notes to share.
For more information about Observer Corps, click here.


Watch Live Board Meetings









Board Meeting Agendas:

CO State Board Agendas


MORE RESOURCES

Colorado Department of Education
Colorado Department of Education


2022 State Accountability Report
2022 State Assessment Accountability Report Information
The Report


Colorado State Standards - Social Studies
CO State Standards: Social Studies


Colorado General Assembly Education Committees (2024):
Colorado House Education Committee
Colorado Senate Education Committee
Colorado Youth Advisory Council Interim Committee
Colorado Legislative Council



League Partners' Offerings

Great Education Colorado Presentation - a real life cautionary tale in Arizona





NO on Amendment 80 Fact Sheet
This ballot measure will hurt Colorado public schools by taking funding from them!
Get the facts here: NO on 80 Fact Sheet



The Colorado Civics Bee
Brought to you by the US Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, and LWVCO.
Here is your chance to work with your local middle school educators on civics.  The National Civics Bee is an annual competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Participating middle school students will flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. The National Civics Bee takes place in early 2024, in partnership with local and state chambers of commerce across the United States, including the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.
Here are some helpful documents for teachers and students:
To see the Colorado Chamber of Commerce website for the Bee, click here.



League Positions on Education

LWVCO 2024-2025 Positions for Action

LWVUS 2024-2026 Impact on Issues




Want to learn on which 2023 Education Bills the Colorado League has taken a stance?
Access all the information you need at:

2024 Master Bill Tracker




LWVCO Education Task Force and the Observer Corps

Our March 2023 Education Task Force Meeting included an outstanding discussion of two real life applications of the LWV Observer Corps model and School Board Meetings. I encourage you to watch it and think about how you might apply this important League function in your area.

Observer Corps at School Board Meetings




State Level Resources:
Governor Polis Statement Welcoming Susana Cordova as Incoming Colorado Commissioner of Education
Governor Polis Welcomes New Colorado Commissioner of Education



ARTICLES, NEWSLETTERS & MORE

Fourteen states have taken up a challenge to significantly reduce the rate at which children miss a lot of school, responding to a recent call from a bipartisan coalition for states to prioritize school attendance.

Some of the states making the pledge have had among the highest rates of chronic absenteeism in recent years, such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado.

By Kalyn Belsha

Chalkbeat,
 September 9, 2024

14 states pledge to cut chronic absenteeism rates by half over 5 years



The Colorado Department of Early Childhood revised the way it enrolls students with disabilities in universal preschool amid complaints from districts and providers. Is it working?

By Erica Breunlin

The Colorado Sun, 
July 19, 2024

Struggles to place kids with disabilities in right preschools forces Colorado to change enrollment



Two new research papers released Wednesday attempt to isolate the effects of federal relief spending on student test scores.
Both analyses, which were conducted independently, find that spending under the relief programs known as ESSER improved test scores in reading and math, and that the improvements were in line with other research showing that more spending boosts student achievement.

By Erica Meltzer

Chalkbeat, June 25, 2024

Federal COVID relief dollars improved student test scores, two new studies find




Most teachers say their schools are good places to work and learn.
Still, they crave more time for planning and more support in helping students who have lived through trauma.

By Erica Breulin
Colorado Sun, 
May 1, 2024

How are Colorado teachers feeling these days? Good, state survey suggests.




This article's focus is the academic performance results of Colorado innovation school and innovation school zones.
The reporter shares a report that compares assessment results of innovation schools, charter schools, and district run schools - all public schools.

By Erica Breunlin

Colorado Sun,
 December 6, 2023

15 years after Colorado paved way for a new kind of school, students are falling short




Colorado Republicans urge continued fight against ‘woke agenda’ in education

By Suzie Glassman

Colorado NewslineDecember 2, 2023

See the suggested legislation from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Interim Committee's proposed legislation for 2024 on this topic.
Bills for Consideration



Civics Is the Latest Education Battleground
Virginia, Florida and South Dakota have new standards that focus on patriotism, Christianity and anti-communism.
But debating current events? That’s discouraged.


By Dana Goldstein
New York Times, November 30, 2023



How school boards became one of democracy’s front lines

By Lexi Lonas
The Hill, November 26, 2023
This article offers a historical examination of local school boards.



Fourth graders in Eagle County take on Colorado River water policy

By Shannon Mullane
Colorado Sun, November 24, 2023
Excellent example of very relevant problem-based learning!



STOP Moms For Liberty

By Peter Greene
Forbes, November 3, 2023




Berthoud teacher named Colorado’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

By Ann Schimke
Chalkbeat Colorado, October 27, 2023




Garfield County residents rallied against American Birthright social studies standards

By Jenny Brundin
Colorado Public Radio, October 27, 2023



Moms for Liberty: Where are they, and are they winning?

By Sana Sinha, Nicholas Zerbino, Jon Valant, & Rachel M. Perera
Brookings Governance Studies, October 10, 2023



Woodland Park teachers criticize conservative board that made sweeping changes

By Erica Breunlin
Colorado Sun, October 5. 2023




Chronic Absenteeism Remains High

By Erica Meltzer

Chalkbeat Colorado, October 4, 3023

Absenteeism remains high, with 31% of Colorado students missing too much school last year



Partnerships with Parents Are Key to Solving Heightened Polarization in Schools

By Ashley Woo & Melissa Kay Diliberti
Brookings, Aug 10, 2023



Book removals may have violated student civil rights, Education Dept. says

[The Georgia ruling, although less far-reaching in its implications, is “a quiet shot over the bow against school districts that egregiously and without due process remove books from library shelves,” said Bruce Fuller, who studies education policy at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Education. “When students are struggling with these issues of identity, and you ban books that are speaking to these kids, that does appear to violate the spirit of the letter of the civil rights law.”]

Washington Post, May 22, 2023

Book Removals and Children's Civil Rights




The American Library Association's Views on Banned Books
This segment was aired on Amanpour & Company on May 1, 2023

Banned Books in School and Public Libraries



Gaslighting Americans about public schools: The truth about ‘A Nation at Risk’



Confused about how Colorado public schools are financed? You are not alone!
This fact sheet from The Bell Policy Center explains this complex issue in understandable language.


The Bell Policy Center 2023
In the Know: School Finance



This detailed article brings together perspectives regarding school safety measures, gun violence in schools, and student mental health support.
The Colorado Sun, April 5, 2023

Do school-based police officers make high schools safer? It depends on how you measure.



This article discusses the issues related to school shootings across the US.
Chalkbeat, April 5, 2023

With more shootings and guns on campus, schools walk a fine line in response



Getting to "Yes" on Civics Education

Opinion by Glenn C. Altschuler and David Wippman

The Hill, March 19, 2023



Information about California's Age-Appropriate Digital Code Legislation
Online protection for children

CA Age-Appropriate Digital Code



The Age Appropriate Design Code: How it Works

AADC: How It Works



California AADC Legislation - 5Rights' Model
California AADC Legislation




The racist idea that changed American education:

How a landmark Supreme Court decision was shaped by the racist idea that poor children can't learn.

Nov 21, 2022



NEPC - National Education Policy Center at CU Boulder

The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, produces high-quality information in support of democratic deliberation about education policy. 

We publish original research, pol
icy briefs, and expert third-party reviews of think tank reports. NEPC publications are written in accessible language and are intended for a broad audience that includes academic experts, policymakers, the media, and the general public.

NEPC Newsletter



Five Charts That Show How Partisan Strife Is Impacting Public Schools





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