A contested seat on the Adams 12 Five Star school board should be declared vacant, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled. Since the candidate who won the most votes is ineligible to serve, it’s as if no one won the election, the high court decided. The school board will now…
Dear DPS Community, I would like to apologize for our late notice in closing schools this morning. We know how important these decisions are, and we take them very seriously. The most important factor is the well-being of our students and their families. Whenever possible, DPS tries to keep schools…
Last September and October, one of the biggest stories in the Denver metro area involved student protests in Jefferson County against the proposed assembling of a history curriculum committee tasked with emphasizing patriotism and downplaying civil disorder. After large walkouts at schools throughout the district, the Jeffco school board okayed the…
Doctors spend eight or more years in college and medical school before they finally are ready to practice — but Dr. Stacey Kerr thinks they need to go back for one more lesson. Kerr, a family physician in California, believes every doctor and caregiver has a responsibility to study all…
Since retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court back in 2006, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has been promoting civics education. To honor others who have the same goal, the National Center for State Courts presents the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education annually. This year the winner…
Thanks in part to popular crime shows, criminal justice programs are booming across the country. And in the first-ever ranking of national online criminal justice programs by U.S. News and World Report, the University of Colorado Denver landed in the top ten. It rated ninth overall, and fifth among public…
Last week, President Barack Obama announced the full restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba. That means that there will be an American embassy in Havana for the first time in more than half a century, and travel and trade between the two countries will become significantly easier. But if hadn’t…
“Missing the Bus: Colorado’s Elite College Access Gap,” a new report from A+ Denver, suggests that equal educational opportunities for all students in the state remains a distant goal. Among the findings: “Even though 42 percent of students in Colorado qualify as low-income, a non-low-income student is more than 12…
In recent years, the Douglas County School District has stirred controversy over a perceived rightward shift led by its conservative school board. Now, the American Humanist Association is suing the district, the school board and other individuals for allowing what the AHA characterizes as religious fundraisers at individual institutions, thereby…
High-achieving East High School and struggling Manual High School will not partner to create a ninth-grade academy serving students from both schools, Denver Public Schools told the communities in a pair of letters. “We heard considerable feedback from both the Manual and East communities on this proposal, and we’re no…
The Jefferson County School Board spurred a national controversy via a proposed history curriculum committee tasked with emphasizing patriotism and downplaying civil disorder. In an attempt to mute complaints, symbolized by multiple student walkouts at Jeffco schools, the board approved an amendment to add teachers and students on the committee,…
Last night’s meeting of the Jefferson County School Board was a raucous affair, with many if not most public commenters blasting a proposed history curriculum committee tasked with emphasizing patriotism and downplaying civil disorder. But the board’s conservative majority was not swayed, approving the committee after adding a last-minute amendment…
We’ve been reporting about teacher sickouts and student walkouts at Jefferson County schools — a reaction to complaints over moves by the conservative Jefferson County School Board, including a proposed history curriculum committee charged with encouraging patriotism and downplaying civil disorder and a new compensation package to which teachers object…
This past April, we told you about I, Too, Am CU, a powerful tumblr and Facebook campaign that features photos of students from underrepresented groups posing with signs to both highlight and undermine the most prevalent stereotypes they confront on a daily basis. Since then, the messages have been amplified…
Last week, we highlighted the top 25 Denver Public Schools as judged by the district’s School Performance Framework, which gathers data to determine the effectiveness of schools at every level of the DPS system. Today, we look at the flip side — the ten schools currently considered the furthest from…
Update: Moments ago, we spoke with Jefferson County School District spokesperson Lynn Setzer about apparent teacher sickouts taking place in Jeffco today. She confirmed that classes have been canceled at Golden and Jefferson high schools today due to a high number of teacher absences and adds that officials are currently…
Yesterday, we highlighted amazing tweets using the hashtag #JeffcoSchoolBoardHistory — funny and pointed responses to the controversy over a Jefferson County School Board proposal to emphasize patriotism and downplay civil disorder in the American history curriculum. Since then, Twitter has exploded with even more tweets using the hashtag, as student…
Following another day of student protests over a controversial Jefferson County School Board proposal to stress patriotism and downplay civil disorder in American history curriculum, news has surfaced about investigations into an alleged threat against the child of at least one school board member — and another has come forward…
Jeffco superintendent Dan McMinimee is among Jefferson County officials at the center of a storm over proposed changes to the American history curriculum that would emphasize patriotism and downplay civil disorder. Now, in a letter to parents, McMinimee is trying to calm the waters, emphasizing that no decisions have been…
Denver Public Schools has announced the findings from its latest School Performance Framework, which gathers data to determine the effectiveness of schools at every level of the DPS system. The latest findings show 26 schools reached the “distinguished” ranking. We count down all of them below, complete with photos and…
Did you know that Mitt Romney captured Saddam Hussein? You would if you searched for the hashtag #JeffcoSchoolBoardHistory, in which Twitter users lampoon the controversy over the Jefferson County School Board’s proposal to change the American history curriculum to emphasize patriotism over civil disorder. The hilarious results make Drunk History…
The protests led by Jefferson County students over a proposed American history curriculum committee charged with emphasizing patriotism and downplaying civil disorder picked up fresh momentum yesterday. Attendees of six Jeffco schools let their feelings be known, with at least one more rally on tap for today. And far from…
