Education issues

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Higher education

2008

Opportunity Note – HB 08-1093 – Concerning payment by students of the full amount of in-state tuition for basic skills courses.

2007

Looking Forward: Colorado's fiscal prospects after Ref C: Appendix for the Department of Higher Education, by Frank Waterous, Dec. 18, 2007

The Opportunity News, April 17, 2007, special interview with David Skaggs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Education, "Q & A with the Bell: Skaggs seeks collaboration between CDHE and colleges," by Frank Waterous and Heather McGregor, online edition • PDF

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 5 - Close the technology gap that leaves some kids behind, especially in rural communities, by Frank Waterous, Feb. 9, 2007

2006

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 6 - Improve the guidance students get to plan their futures, and expand the reach of
pre-collegiate programs so no kid falls through the cracks, by Frank Waterous, Dec. 4, 2006

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 7 - Remove the bureaucratic barriers to dual enrollment programs that help high school
students earn post-secondary certificates or degrees, by Frank Waterous, Dec. 4, 2006

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 8 - Increase College Opportunity Fund Stipends and need-based financial aid, by Frank Waterous, Dec. 19, 2006

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 9 - Ensure Colorado’s extensive system of state and community colleges focuses on
serving families and communities in all parts of the state, by Frank Waterous, Jan. 2, 2007

Blueprint Implementation Memo No. 21 - Expand adult education opportunities, by Frank Waterous, Jan. 16, 2007

Blueprint Brief No. 3 - Remove the bureaucratic barriers to programs that help high school students earn postsecondary certificates or degrees, by Frank Waterous, Aug. 22, 2006

Blueprint Brief No. 4 - Increase College Opportunity Fund stipends and need-based financial aid, by Frank Waterous, Aug. 22, 2006

Commencement address - Lamar Community College, by Wade Buchanan, May 13, 2006
"This community responded to hardship by becoming a college town – it looked to the future and created an institution that would both strengthen the economy and provide new opportunities for students and families facing great uncertainty and dislocation.
"It reached back to what is best about this country – optimism for the future, faith in the power of education, belief in community action, and undying trust in the resilience of the American family and the individual."

Opportunity Note - SB 06-067, Concerning suicidal behavior among students in higher education, March 16, 2006

Opportunity Note - SB 06-136, Concerning authorization of a nursing teacher loan forgiveness pilot program, March 1, 2006

Opportunity Note - HB 06-1024, Concerning underserved students at institutions of higher education, Feb. 1, 2006
Revised Opportunity Note reflecting subsequent amendments, April 20, 2006

2005

Commentary - Developing our human capitol: Expanding access to higher education is key to economic growth, by Rich Jones, The Boulder Daily Camera, Oct. 2, 2005

Commentary - Nursing shortage a reality in Colorado: It will be much worse by 2020 if college programs can't grow, by Heather McGregor, The Boulder Daily Camera, July 31, 2005

PowerPoint presentation - Colorado public higher education in a state of crisis, by Spiros Protopsaltis, May 2005

Commentary - College performance contracts oversold: This higher-education reform isn't quite as new or as promising as supporters would have you believe, by Spiros Protopsaltis, The Boulder Daily Camera, May 1, 2005

Policy Brief - Changes in the federal Pell grant formula will decerease financial aid for low-income students in Colorado, March 23, 2005

Policy Brief - The Bell's proposals to improve postsecondary access and success for all Coloradans, Jan. 18, 2005
Commentary - Bell calls on Colorado Commission on Higher Education to expand access for students, by Wade Buchanan, Jan. 18, 2005.
The CollegeInColorado program is by no stretch of the imagination a sufficient response to the crisis in higher education access in Colorado. Nothing short of an all-out campaign to greatly expand access will do.
Press release - Bell Policy Center calls for major initiatives to expand higher education access in Colorado, Jan. 18, 2005

2004

Commentary - Public policies are undermining their ability to help students through the admissions process, by Adrian Miller, The Boulder Daily Camera, Nov. 21, 2004

Letter to the Editor - The problem with the new college voucher program, by Spiros Protopsaltis, The Denver Post, Oct. 14, 2004

Commentary - Don't under-estimate community colleges: They're an essential part of Colorado's future, by Evan Enarson-Hering, The Boulder Daily Camera, Sept. 19, 2004

Commentary - Colorado lags in student financial aid: State isn't doing enough to help needy kids go to college, by Spiros Protopsaltis, The Boulder Daily Camera, Feb. 22, 2004

Policy Brief - State financial aid appropriations, January 2004

2003

Commentary - Affirmative action: Where do we start? by Adrian Miller, The Boulder Daily Camera, Aug. 24, 2003

Commentary - How can Colorado improve access to college? State needs more than one bill to expand educational opportunity, by Andy Hartman, The Boulder Daily Camera, April 27, 2003

Commentary - Take time to guard higher ed access, by Andy Hartman, Rocky Mountain News, April 11, 2003

Policy Brief - Access to higher education for low-income students, January 2003