Author: Ann Schimke
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.The kindergartner in the light blue Bart Simpson T-shirt was quick to say “no” when Quianna Becenti asked him if “horse” starts with the “h” sound. “Nooooo?” Becenti asked in an affectionate sing-song voice. “Listen to the beginning … horse.” The 5-year-old gazed at the smiling cartoon horse on his worksheet and reconsidered. He repeated the word in a breathy voice, nodding as he heard the “h” sound. The moment was a step on the…
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Teachers, child care providers, and other people who work with children will soon be subject to a new state law governing how and when suspected child abuse or neglect should be reported.The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, includes several changes recommended by a state task force that spent two years considering reforms that clarify the responsibilities of mandatory reporters — people who work with kids and are legally required to report suspected abuse or…
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.In some Colorado counties, the cost of child care is equivalent to more than half a week’s salary at a minimum wage job, which leaves little money to pay for other expenses.That’s one of the findings in a new report on licensed child care from the Common Sense Institute, a Colorado research organization. Overall, the report reiterates what many parents know intuitively: Child care is expensive and hard to find. But it also digs into…
How do teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask great educators how they approach their jobs.Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.During Gayathri Ramkumar’s favorite lesson — a sort of mathematical guessing game — she’ll hear her students asking their partners things like, “Can you tell me the degree of the polynomial?”Gayathri Ramkumar. (Courtesy of Gayathri Ramkumar) Not only does the back-and-forth get the high-schoolers talking precisely about mathematical problems, but it helps…
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Surrounded by smiling supporters and curious fourth graders, Gov. Jared Polis on Friday signed a bill into law that will require universal dyslexia screenings in Colorado schools starting in the 2027-28 school year. The sunny signing ceremony outside the front doors of Lukas Elementary School in Westminster was a momentous occasion. For students, it was the only thing besides lunch separating them from the start of summer break. For advocates of children with dyslexia, it…
Read in English.Chalkbeat Colorado es un noticiero local sin fines de lucro que informa sobre las escuelas públicas en Denver y otros distritos. Suscríbete a nuestro boletín gratis por email en español para recibir lo último en noticias sobre educación dos veces al mes. Las familias en Colorado pueden empezar a enviar su solicitud para el programa preescolar estatal gratis del año escolar 2025-26.El programa, el cual se lanzó en el otoño de 2023, está disponible para todos los niños de 4 años de edad. Alrededor de 41,000 niños de 4 años actualmente están inscritos en el programa — alrededor…
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Two students and two groups have sued the Elizabeth School District over its decision to remove 19 books from school libraries this year because they contained what the school board deemed highly sensitive content.The suit, filed in U.S. District Court by lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado on Thursday, argues the book removals violate federal and state free speech protections. In addition to a high school student and preschooler in the 2,600-student district, the…
Inside Colorado’s free preschool initiativeSign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Colorado families can start applying for the state’s free preschool program for the 2025-26 school year on Tuesday at noon.The program, which launched in the fall of 2023, is open to all 4-year-olds. About 41,000 4-year-olds are currently enrolled in the program — about 65% of that age group in the state. A smaller number of 3-year-olds who need extra help are also enrolled.The state has made a few key changes…