Go ahead, take it.
An update on a lawsuit against CollegeAmerica, an improvement in the state’s ranking for child well-being, and a visit by Vice President Joe Biden all in this week of education news. Catch up here.
Politics: Denver mayor, Michael Hancock, had his . During the speech, he announced his support for a proposed tax initiative that would fund college scholarships for Denver students. The proposal still must be approved by Denver’s city council before it is placed on the ballot, and education leaders who are are still finishing up the details of the plan.
Vice President Joe Biden, also took the opportunity to talk about access to higher education, touting the president’s plan to make community college free for all students. During the trip, Biden visited the Community College of Denver, touring the school’s Advanced Manufacturing Center set to open this fall.
Voices from the schools: Paula Hans, a spokeswoman for the Douglas County School District, given to the district to increase activity throughout the school day. An elementary school teacher in the district said that incorporating movement throughout the day helped her students improve their behavior and their ability to stay focused for longer periods of time.
Laurel Trasky, right, a retired Denver Public Schools teacher, shows her support for a recall of Jeffco Board of Education members at a rally at Clement Park in October. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
A group that is pushing to prompt a recall of three school board members in Jefferson County Public Schools, continued this week with their signature collections lining busy intersections on Wednesday. gathering more than the necessary signatures by Saturday.
In Denver, , a school set to open this fall. Denver Public School officials in the story dispute the concerns saying that the school has huge demand and a large waiting list.
Rankings: A Kids Count report released by a national organization this week shows measuring children’s well being. The state report, released earlier this year, showed there was a drop in the number of kids living in poverty, and more kids attending preschool. Colorado kids didn’t do as well as other kids in the country however, on measures of health.
Colorado State University also celebrated this week after being named the most sustainable university in the nation by BestColleges.com. The Coloradoan reported ever” through an independent rating system for universities.
In the courts: A Colorado district court threw out a request for a preliminary injunction against the private, for-profit school, CollegeAmerica last week. The Denver Post’s , filed by the state Attorney General in December, alleges the school uses deceptive practices to lure students into debt they can’t afford to repay. According to the judge’s ruling, the state has not provided enough evidence to create reasonable probability that the school’s loans will be found to violate the law. The lawsuit is still ongoing.
Chalkbeat’s in front of the Colorado Court of Appeals this week. The lawsuit, filed by a group of teachers and the Denver Classroom Teacher’s Association last year, alleges Denver Public Schools misused the mutual consent provision of Senate Bill 191, which mandated teacher evaluations, violating state constitution. Arguments in the appeals court centered on whether the legislature has power over laws controlling labor contracts.
