High School State Cards: Colorado Report/Fact Sheet

HELP ON NCLB: Senators Harkin and Alexander Affirm Need to Go Back to Work on NCLB Rewrite During HELP Committee Hearing on Early Lessons from NCLB Waivers Article

During a February 7 hearing on “Early Lessons from State Flexibility Waivers” under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), both Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), said Congress should go back to work on a rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as NCLB.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESSES: Spotlighting Governors’ Speeches in Colorado, Nebraska, Vermont, and Virginia Article

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) expressed pride in the work Colorado has done in improving early childhood education in his state of the state address on January 10.

Five States To Reimagine the School Day, Increase Classroom Time by 300 Hours Article

Five states—Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee—will participate in a pilot initiative to extend teaching time by 300 hours over the school year under a $3 million collaborative with the Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time and Learning.

EDUCATION DEBATE: Obama and Romney Highlight Education Positions During First Presidential Debate Article

Although moderator Jim Lehrer of “PBS NewsHour” did not select education as one of the six segments on which the two candidates would focus during the first presidential debate, both President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney devoted a significant amount of time to the issue.

THE URGENCY OF NOW: New Schott Foundation Report Calls for “Support-Based Reform Agenda” to Increase High School Graduation Rates Among Black and Latino Males Article

Nationwide, only 52 percent of black males and 58 percent of Latino males graduated in four years from the high school Class of 2010, compared to 78 percent of white males, according to The Urgency of Now: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males 2012, a new report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON ESEA REWRITE: Hearing Focuses on NCLB Accountability and Teacher Effectiveness Article

CATCH THE WAIVE: Eleven States Receive Flexibility Under NCLB in Exchange for Reform Article

Eleven states will receive flexibility under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in exchange for their commitment to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness.

LET’S GET DIGITAL: First-Ever National Digital Learning Day Attracts Participation from Thirty-Nine States, 19,000 Teachers, and 1.7 Million Students Article

On February 1, thirty-nine states, 19,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students participated in the first-ever Digital Learning Day.

WAIVING AWAY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE ACCOUNTABILITY?: State NCLB Waiver Proposals Threaten to Weaken Accountability for High School Graduation Rates Article

In September 2011, with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—currently known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act—stalled in the U.S. Congress, President Obama outlined a plan to provide states flexibility within specific provisions of the law in exchange for state-led reform efforts to close achievement gaps, evaluate teachers and principals, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate ready for college and a career.