Author: Ann Schimke

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name.Over the summer, state officials said yes to only 14 of 54 homeschool enrichment programs that applied for approval. It was the first step in a broader effort to increase oversight of a controversial slice of the public education system that has seen massive growth in recent years.On Thursday, the nine-member State Board of Education will take another step in the process, discussing permanent rules…

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.Colorado officials plan to seek third-party audits of a controversial public education group that’s now being dissolved as well as the group’s largest homeschool enrichment program.One audit will focus on Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or ERBOCES, the Monument-based group that had recently spurred massive growth in publicly funded homeschool enrichment, spearheaded a short-lived “public Christian school,” and sued the state for religious discrimination. The second audit will focus on Colorado Homeschool Enrichment,…

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.A publicly funded homeschool enrichment program that last year enrolled nearly 2,800 Colorado students will cease operating after a turbulent summer in which its authorizer dissolved and the state launched a strict approval process for such programs.Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, or CHE, sent an email informing families of the decision Thursday evening. “We have recently become aware that there was no path forward for the state to approve our application,” wrote Renee Miller, the group’s CEO.…

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.A controversial Colorado education group that launched a now-defunct “public Christian school” last year could soon dissolve after the state’s top education official urged the move this week and the group’s most crucial member considers leaving.The 13-year-old group — Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or ERBOCES — authorizes six online schools and a host of publicly funded programs for homeschool students. If the Monument-based co-op closes, some schools and programs might move to…

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.When the leaders of a new elementary school applied for a four-digit public school code from the Colorado Department of Education last summer, they didn’t mention a key detail: The school would be religious. Instead, they said Riverstone Academy would offer traditional academics and trade-themed electives. But education department officials soon learned that the 30-student school in Pueblo County would also be run by a Christian group and use some Christian curriculum.Several department employees raised…

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.Responding to recent changes in state law, Colorado officials are scrutinizing 42 homeschool enrichment program applications submitted by a controversial education group whose past practices spurred the changes.The Colorado Department of Education on Thursday sent a four-page letter to the group — Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or ERBOCES — requesting additional details so a six-member review team can determine if the enrichment programs comply with the new rules. The department’s letter provides…

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.Sam Westerdale, a civics and government teacher at Aurora’s Rangeview High School, has a master’s degree in political science. But she’s not afraid to admit what she doesn’t know. “I try to demonstrate that fragility is natural in the learning process, and it shouldn’t be seen as weak, but rather, as being…

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.For years, thousands of Colorado homeschoolers have taken publicly funded enrichment classes, often at public schools, meant to round out their learning. Younger students might take art, music, and physical education; older students might take calculus or band.But a new strain of homeschool enrichment programs funded with state dollars has exploded in recent years, raising red flags for state lawmakers about the cost, content, and structure of these classes. The new programs rely on private…

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.A judge recommended dismissing a federal lawsuit brought by several Colorado school districts that challenged the state’s antidiscrimination law on the grounds that it violates students’ rights by allowing transgender youth to play on school sports teams that match their gender identity.The Jan. 13 recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell is a tentative win for state officials and a loss for the eight plaintiffs, which include four school districts, three charter schools, and…

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 group governing high school sports in Colorado has agreed not to sanction schools or teams from eight conservative-leaning school districts and charter schools for policies on transgender student athletes under a settlement agreement finalized Thursday. Some of the districts and schools passed policies this year barring transgender students from joining teams that align with their gender identity. The agreement marks the end of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s involvement in a federal lawsuit…