Tuesday Churn: New higher ed grant

Updated 11 a.m. – The Colorado Department of Higher Education has received a $35 million federal grant to bolster its GEAR UP program, which works with at-risk middle and high school students to help prepare them for college.

The grant will enable the program to serve 6,800 students in low-income schools, starting in the 8th grade. The program provides mentoring, college prep curriculum, financial literacy training, encourages student concurrent enrollment, helps with college applications and provides support during the first year of college.

Colorado competed against 33 other states and was among seven that have received grants to date. This is the state’s third such award, with the first grant covering 1999-2005 and the second 2005-2011.

More information:

What’s churning:

President Obama will visit Denver to campaign for his jobs $447 billion at southwest at southwest Denver’s Lincoln High School. The proposal includes $25 billion for school infrastructure improvements, plus another $5 billion for community college upgrades.

The president kicked off his road show two weeks ago at a high school in Columbus, Ohio. There’s more information on the education component of the jobs plan in this recent blog post from our partners at EdWeek.

What’s on tap:

The State Council for Educator Effectiveness meets from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the second floor conference room at 1660 Lincoln St.

The Educational Success Task Force, a legislative study panel, meets starting at 1 p.m. at the Department of Higher Education, 1650 Broadway, 16th floor. Committee website & links to agenda and audio of prior meetings

The Boulder Valley school board meets at 6 p.m. in the Education Center at 6500 East Arapahoe Road. The agenda includes a vote on a resolution endorsing Proposition 103 and a discussion of heat problems in schools last month.

A Denver school board candidate forum for those seeking the at-large citywide seat and the District 1 or southeast Denver seat begins at 7 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson High School. The event is co-sponsored by the Partnership for Southeast Denver Schools, the League of Women Voters and Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation.