by Meg Freedman As a parent, you might have heard that “school readiness” is required before your young child can enter kindergarten. But what exactly does that mean and why does it matter? Research shows that students who are ready to learn in kindergarten—the beginning of a child’s formal education—tend to be more successful throughout… Read More »
Colorado School Grades partners with Moms Fight Back to highlight school safety issues. In this post, the organization’s founder Heidi Ganahl offers an update to her 2013 blog post about how to choose a safe school. As moms, one of our biggest concerns is keeping our children and families safe – sometimes that means our own watchful eye and sometimes… Read More »
Colorado transitioned to a new test in 2015 – the CMAS/PARCC exam – and since the new tests are different, previous years’ scores can’t be compared to this year’s results. That would be like comparing apples and oranges. Given the change in the test, the state decided to take a time-out from school accountability this year, meaning… Read More »
Once upon a time there was an 8th grader who shadowed several high schools. After the first visit, her mother asked her what she thought about the school, to which the girl quickly replied, “it was great and I think it is my first choice!” A bit surprised, yet encouraged by her daughter’s enthusiastic and decisive… Read More »
When I talked with other parents during our school search last year, private vs. public school seemed to be the most personal and historically ingrained of any aspect of the school choice process. “I went to public school and I turned out ok.” Or “I went to private school. It’s what I know.” But like… Read More »
Sky View Academy kids dancing School choice supporters from across the Centennial State converged on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol for a history-making rally and celebration on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 9 am. The message of the event: school choice is working for Colorado families. Colorado Senate Education Committee Chairman Owen Hill… Read More »
You’ve made that list of schools to tour, so what should you look for on the tour? I found it helpful to keep the tours sorted in a spreadsheet. Here’s mine including school names, addresses, websites, tour dates, admissions deadlines (if applicable) and other pertinent details. After you take the tour, add a few thoughts about your reaction to… Read More »
My daughter starts kindergarten next fall, so I’m working to select the right school for her. I recently attended an “open house” at our neighborhood school (we’re part of Denver Public Schools). It was fine, but I felt silly: I didn’t get the memo that kids weren’t expected to attend or that “open house” was code… Read More »
It’s time to look at some schools for your kid! You may already be convinced that you should go on some school tours, and now the question is, which ones? I toured 11 schools, but I could have done well with maybe half as many tours. Here are few things to consider as you make your… Read More »
School choice was a foreign language to my husband and me when our oldest child started school. When our daughter started school, we thought she would just go to the school in our neighborhood and that was it: a choice due to convenience. Our daughter did not enroll in early childhood education (ECE) because I… Read More »