Week of 12/20/10: Teaching & learning tidbits

Global Village Academy charter school expansion clears hurdle

The Aurora Sentinel writes about how the Global Village Academy Charter School is one step closer to expansion- following a smooth public hearing process held during the Aurora City Council’s regular meeting on Monday.

The city council became the forum for a public hearing regarding the proposed expansion of GVA’s campus on South Airport Road in Aurora during the meeting on Dec. 20. Since administrators from the school, which is chartered through the Aurora Public Schools district, wants to use a specific, tax exempt financing structure to fund the proposed building.

Hard choices ahead for K-12 funding

Our sister site, Education News Colorado, tackles – once again – school funding.

Legislators face tough decisions next session about whether to cover the loss of local tax revenues or force school districts to eat those cuts. That was the key message for school districts out of revenue forecasts and economic reports given to the Legislative Council, Joint Budget Committee and other legislators today by legislative and executive branch economists.

Dropouts and at-risk students earn diplomas through Rebound Program

The Aurora Sentinel shares the story of the Rebound Program.

Twenty-one Aurora Public Schools students who had been expelled from high school, dropped out or were at risk of dropping out were awarded diplomas Friday at the Ombudsman Rebound graduation.

Ombudsman Rebound represents a partnership among Aurora Public Schools, the Community College of Aurora, Colorado Youth for a Change and a national program called Ombudsman Educational Services. Since Ombudsman Rebound was created in January 2008, 106 students who otherwise may not have graduated have earned an accredited high school diploma.

Boys aren’t learning to read – and it’s a global problem

The New York Daily News offers an interesting take on a study showing how boys are lagging in reading.

Conventional wisdom holds that boys excel in math and girls in reading. Truth be told, boys excel in neither, according to a report released this month by the Center for Education Policy. The report, which analyzes test results from 40 states, reveals that boys lag well behind girls in literacy skills – while only tying them in math.

Editor’s note: There won’t be a teaching & learning tidbits post next week as the EdNews Parent offices will be closed for the holidays.

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