Education issues

To make Colorado a land of opportunity for all in the 21st Century, we have to start with education. Our top priority must be preparing our kids to be good citizens and to compete and prosper in a global economy.  Everything builds on this foundation. If we fail in this, nothing else we do will matter much.

We cannot afford a dual system that moves some kids forward and leaves others behind. We need all young people to be able to compete and contribute to our state. Our communities and our economy will suffer otherwise.

Students who don’t develop their talents or reach their potential will contribute less to their communities and are more likely to impose costs on the system throughout their lives. They will be less productive than they could be in an economy that needs everyone pulling in the same direction.

So we need schools that work for all our kids. That means raising performance across the board; providing flexibility and rewarding innovation; closing the persistent performance gaps among kids of different economic and racial backgrounds; letting no one fall through the cracks; preparing kids to succeed, whether in college or the workplace; and ensuring kids who want to go to college can afford to do so.

Take these links to read more:

Early childhood education | K-12 education & literacy | Higher education

Achievement Gap | The Educational Pipeline | P-16 and P-20 proposals

CSAP testing | 65 Percent Solution | Undocumented Immigrants

2005 Outreach Tour on Higher Education and Health

Pew Partnership for Civic Change launches Learning to Finish Wiki

The Learning to Finish Wiki is a web site that fosters collaboration between parents, educators, community members, researchers, and students toward lowering the dropout rate.
Nearly the entire web site can be edited and updated by users eager to share the challenges they face and solutions that work.
Learn the basics of how to use this web site.

Quick links to:

The Bell's Cycle of Opportunity

The Self-Sufficiency Standard

Education Gateways
2. A Safe and Stimulating Early Childhood
3. Building a Solid Base for Literacy
5. Leaving High School with a Diploma and the Skills to Succeed
6. Access to Education and Training for Adults

Bell experts
Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst
Rich Jones, Director of Policy and Research

Education links & resources

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What's New

Bell press release, Nov. 27, 2007

P-20 Education Council takes important steps toward reform

Today, Gov. Ritter’s P-20 Education Council took important steps toward fulfilling the “Colorado Promise” by endorsing 15 reforms for preschool through 12th-grade education. These reforms could start being implemented through legislative or executive action in 2008.

“These recommended reforms are a needed step forward. For example, the P-20 Council wants to fully fund the Colorado Preschool and Kindergarten Program. Right now, it serves only about two-thirds of the kids we know are eligible,” said Frank Waterous, senior policy analyst for the Bell Policy Center.

“If this reform is approved, it would eliminate the waiting list for the program. This year, there are 8,205 4-year-olds on the waiting list. Quality preschool sets children up for success in school, and it’s an advantage all our children ought to have,” Waterous said.

Full release: on the web