COLORADO
- According to opt-out activists, this will be a big year in Colorado for parents pulling their kids out of standardized testing. Activists are trying to “starve (the state) of data.” EdNews Colorado
- The message from superintendents at a panel Wednesday was that Colorado reform has been too top down and they need more flexibility to carry out big changes. EdNews Colorado
- A math tutoring program in Denver schools has shown big initial increases in students’ math performance but whether those gains will last is less clear. EdNews Colorado
- Race to the Top finalists were announced yesterday and several Colorado school districts made the list. EdNews Colorado
- Two Colorado school districts and a foundation won USDA Farm to School grants. EdNews Colorado
- The slate of Dougco school board candidates who opposed the current board and who lost in the election are moving forward with a legal challenge related to their erstwhile opponents’ campaign activities. Our Colorado News
- District administrators at Poudre School District who are under scrutiny for a so-called “pyramid scheme” involving district money may also have pressured employees to participate. Coloradoan
- In Boulder, the school board named a new president and two of its members are now facing a petition from parents for recall, due to firing of a beloved principal. Daily Camera
- The fallout from school board races continues. As new board members take over in Jeffco, community members can expect big changes. Denver Post
- The Adams 12 Five Star candidate who did not live in the district in which she ran will have her votes counted, according to a judge’s ruling. The Secretary of State plans to appeal. Daily Camera
- A Parker charter school received a national award for its focus on student character. Our Colorado News
NATION
- In New York, an affluent area of the city is exempt from the city-wide choice process, leading to accusations of favoritism. WNYC
- Arne Duncan apologized for his comment about “white suburban women,” saying it was a clumsy phrase. US DOE
OPINION
- Why did A66 fail? Van Schoales said that it’s a combination of factors, included weak alliances. EdNews Colorado
- Colorado voters want to reform the school system, not the funding, according to the vice-president of the Adams County 12 school board. EdNews Colorado
- A teacher argued that Facebook makes his students, especially the boys, better writers. The Atlantic
The headline of this post has been changed to clarify that parents in Boulder are signing a petition to recall members of a charter school board, not the Boulder Valley board.
Rise & Shine
Each weekday morning, we search websites of various media, comb through RSS feeds and peruse Google alerts to bring you a roundup of the day’s top education headlines, in Colorado and across the country, by 8 a.m. If you’d like to suggest a story we’ve missed or a source we should add to the list, please email us at ednews@ednewscolorado.org.