What’s churning:
Updated 5 p.m. – The struggling Life Skills Charter High School today lost their case in the State Board of Education, an appeal of the Denver school board’s denial of an application for charter renewal.
The SBE voted 4-3 to uphold the DPS board.
The Denver board made its decision on a 4-3 vote last November (see story). This is a return visit to the State Board for Life Skills, operated by White Hat Management. The DPS board voted in 2007 to close the school, but that decision was reversed by SBE.
The state board also approved innovation applications from three DPS schools – McAuliffe International School, West Leadership Academy and West Generations Academy.
Also on the board’s usual overstuffed agenda was a briefing on legislative and budget issues – the latter a sticky problem right now (see story). The board also will get an update on proposed educator evaluation appeals rules and receive the annual report of the Colorado Preschool Program. Agenda
An all-day training event Monday on implementing the new educator evaluation system drew teams from 94 of the state’s 178 school districts, organizers reported Tuesday. The event was sponsored by the Colorado Legacy Foundation, the Department of Education and four education groups. Materials on implementation are available here on the foundation’s website.
Manual High School is celebrating a $200,000 gift from the Anschutz Foundation to pay for an expanded partnership with the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. Next year, the Y and other partners will offer more courses to students and families within the school day as part of an extended day. Specifically, the money will pay for remodeling the cooking room, where healthy living and healthy eating courses will be taught, along with new fitness equipment and other school improvements.
“We believe it very important that our community partners and their expertise are infused into our day to ensure that our students benefit from connecting with our community,” said Vernon Jones Jr., a Manual administrator who oversees community partnerships. He said he was “very excited about our community partners who are just as committed as we are to closing gaps; academic, opportunity, health, and other areas.”
What’s on tap:
Adams 12 Five Star school board members meet at 5:15 p.m. for a public work session and then begin their regular meeting at 7 p.m. at 1500 E. 128th Ave. Agenda items include public comment and decisions on possible dismissal of two teachers.
Good reads from elsewhere:
Teacher satisfaction declines: Teacher job satisfaction has fallen by 15 percentage points since 2009, according to results of the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, while the number of teachers saying they do not feel their job is secure has quadrupled – from 8 percent in 2006 to 34 percent today. See the full survey and read a column about it by CU professor Kevin Welner that appears in today’s Washington Post.
Tuning up Title I: Scholars affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for American Progress have teamed up to offer detailed suggestions for revision of the Title I program as part of congressional reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The analysis is a bit wonky; get a summary here.
The EdNews’ Churn is a daily roundup of briefs, notes and meetings in the world of Colorado education. To submit an item for consideration in this listing, please email us at EdNews@EdNewsColorado.org.