Ann Schimke

Ann Schimke covers healthy school topics and early childhood issues for Chalkbeat Colorado. She's written for The Washington Post as well as newspapers in Michigan, Virginia and Colorado. She holds a master鈥檚 degree in education policy from the University of Michigan. She joined Chalkbeat (then EdNews Colorado) in 2012.

Colorado schools soon will be judged by how many students are chronically absent

April 3, 2017 at 8:34 a.m.

Colorado is one of more than a dozen states that will use chronic absenteeism as a measure of school and district quality in the education plans they鈥檒l soon submit to...

A student at the Ridings' Federation ...

Colorado poised to slash funding for controversial student health survey

March 27, 2017 at 3:15 p.m.

The survey asks about topics ranging from nutrition to risky behavior, and proponents say it抖阴ap crucial for tracking trends and crafting interventions when trouble spots arise.

Traffic pollution poses invisible health risk for dozens of Denver schools

March 24, 2017 at 12:38 p.m.

A new online mapping tool, part of a joint investigative project by two nonprofit news organizations, the Center for Public Integrity and Reveal, puts the issue in stark relief. Residents...

Could Colorado be at forefront for cutting early childhood suspensions and expulsions?

March 6, 2017 at 10:25 a.m.

Legislation introduced last week would limit out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for Colorado children in state-funded preschool programs and early elementary school.

Will JeffCo Schools cut promising programs before they can succeed?

February 8, 2017 at 5:15 p.m.

In its bid to cut $20 million from next year鈥檚 budget, Jeffco Public Schools is looking to eliminate two programs that have posted promising results so far.

A Utah teacher along with 200 other Utah teaches puts his fingerprints on a card for a concealed-weapons training class on Dec.27, 2012 in West Valley City, Utah.

Colorado education department asks thousands of educators for new criminal background checks

February 1, 2017 at 8:29 a.m.

About 3,000 Colorado school district employees have been or will be told they must get new criminal background checks after a routine FBI audit found incomplete records in the state鈥檚...

Teacher Tammy Yoder looks back into her classroom as students start to line up for lunch

Once the public learns how little early childhood teachers make, the vast majority support wage increases

September 25, 2016 at 9:47 p.m.

More than 80 percent of Colorado voters鈥攊ncluding a solid majority in both major political parties鈥攂elieve the state should increase access to quality early childhood education and offer coaching and education...

LAKEWOOD, CO - OCTOBER 17: Lakewood police officer Jesus "Moose" Chavez, left, chats with from left to right Maureen Mallory, school counselor, Assistant Principal Dave Kelley, and Janet Acerra, school counselor, right at Alameda High School in Lakewood, Co on October 17, 2013. He is a school resource officer for Alameda High School as well as a detective with Lakewood Police Department. He goes above and beyond the call of duty trying to help students in need. He ran the Denver Rock N Roll half marathon while pushing Luke Olmsted the entire way. Olmsted, a sophomore at Alameda High School, has cerebral palsy and can not walk. Chavez and Olmsted finished the race in just over two hours. (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)

School discipline data mistakes cause problems for groups battling school-to-prison pipeline

August 30, 2016 at 12:21 p.m.

Faulty student discipline numbers for at least three Colorado school districts have muddied efforts to track suspension and expulsion trends, complicated advocates鈥� plans to press for change and caused state...

Boulder has remained anti-vaccine hot spot

July 3, 2016 at 1:05 a.m.

A newly updated immunization database created by Chalkbeat reveals that Boulder remains a hot spot for the anti-vaccination movement, students in districts with racial and income diversity are more likely...

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