Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Denver Post
Colorado awarded $27 million in education grants to 19 programs aimed at helping students in communities hit hard by the pandemic, Gov. Jared Polis and state officials announced Monday.
The announcement represents the second round of funding under the RISE grant program, which emphasizes cooperative programs between school districts, charter schools, and higher education institutions to help students who are more likely to suffer long-term impacts from learning disruption caused by the pandemic. Colorado distributed $13 million in the first round.
“One thing we know from the pandemic is that it highlighted some of the preexisting gaps that we have in education,” Polis said. “That’s not a short-term fix or something you can change in one school year.”
A second round of Response, Innovation and Student Equity Fund grants has been awarded to Colorado school districts, charter schools and colleges to address learning challenges related to the impact