A classroom at Denver’s South High School, Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
A bipartisan coalition hopes to ask the state’s residents to pass a ballot measure in the fall that they say would help Colorado’s children recover from pandemic-related learning loss and close persistent decades-long academic learning gaps.
If passed, supporters say Colorado would be the first state in the country to build a long-term plan to prevent learning gaps from forming in the first place through after-school and summer programming.
The ballot initiative could provide as much as $1,500 to low-income families to choose from a menu of approved out-of-school learning opportunities including tutoring, extra support for students with special needs, enrichment activities, and career and technical education including training programs, among others.
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Research shows that holding a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education is the best predictor of quality in teaching practice. Other studies show formal education and specialized training were significantly associated with higher quality caretaking. In Colorado, only 17 percent of the early childhood workforce holds a bachelor’s degree in early care and education.
The barriers to higher education for both new and working professionals are just too high.
Even with all her years of experience, Perry said she doesn’t feel on the level of younger teachers coming straight into the field with a bachelor’s.
“I feel like having a bachelor s degree would definitely increase my confidence,” she said. “I m changing. I m getting better.”
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday announced a second round of grants intended to address learning gaps brought on by the pandemic.
The RISE (Response, Innovation and Study Equity) fund will send $26.6 million to 19 education partners around Colorado to help address three areas: academic loss related to the pandemic that has left many low-income students months or even a year behind academically; mental health needs from the isolation Colorado students have experienced in the pandemic; and helping students prepare for the changing economic climate brought on by the pandemic.
The fund is paid for through the federal CARES Act, although it’s a different funding stream than the first CARES Act money, which had to be spent by the end of 2020. This round of funding comes from the December CARES Act, which has spending deadlines in 2022 and 2023.
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RBC | Yesterday, Governor Polis announced the second round of Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) Fund awardees to innovate and transform public education. The RISE fund was created to support innovation in high-needs school districts, charter schools, and public institutions of higher education to address the learning challenges related to the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19 in a manner that creates sustainable innovations that improve student learning, close equity gaps, and enhance operational efficiency for pre-K-12 through higher education.
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Among the recipients was a joint proposal from Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) for $2.9 million.