DFER Colorado
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Better Schools Aren't a Partisan Issue
February 1, 2012
By Joe Trippi
(From Huffington Post, January 30th, 2012)
How do we give our kids a better education than we've been giving them? It's a question that is leading to a rare bipartisan conversation these days with some big figures in the Democratic party, like Cory Booker in Newark, Antonio Villaraigosa in Los Angeles and Andrew Cuomo in New York, actually leading the discussion. And they're not alone in the Democratic party as I saw this past week in New Orleans and Denver.
What's going on here?
The tough reality we've got to face is that too many of our schools are failing. And if you have a kid in one of those schools, you can bet that you're going to be pretty upset that your kid isn't getting the skills they need to live a successful life. That's where this conversation begins -- with the parents of kids in those schools who demand a better education for their child.
More people are also getting involved. After all, there are serious consequences when a kid doesn't succeed in school, both for themselves and the community they live in. If a kid gets through high school without being able to master basic math, science and reading, that kid is going to have difficulty finding a job. And good luck finding a business that will locate in a community that doesn't have workers with those skills. So you're starting to see a lot of businesses get involved in this conversation as well.
The great thing about this discussion is that there's not going to be just a one size fits all fix. That model isn't working. So there's room for everyone to participate and put every idea on the table. Even if you think public schools are great, can't we improve them? The solutions may vary by town, city and state.
Many communities have decided that the key is to empower parents to choose the best school for their child rather than that child being forced to attend the nearest public school no matter how low academic achievement at that school is or how bad of a fit it is for that child. If a solution is going to work for a child, their parent has to have the power to choose that solution. That's why instead of arguing over or promoting a particular fix, last week people across the political spectrum came together during to promote giving parents more choice in choosing what works best for their child during National School Choice Week.
Last Saturday, National School Choice Week kicked-off in New Orleans with a huge rally. James Carville, who spoke at the event, was so proud of the progress schools have made in that great city since Katrina. "You can't have the kind of successes that we're seeing here, the kind of improvements we're seeing in our schools, without people taking some considerable risk," he said.
DFER Colorado Supports the Colorado Asset Bill
January 27, 2012
By Moira Cullen, DFER Colorado State Director
Senate Bill 12-015, the ASSET Bill, was introduced in the Colorado legislature last week and had its first committee hearing on January 26th, passing out of the Senate Education Committee on a 4-3 party line vote. The bill enables Colorado high school graduates - regardless of their immigration status - to attend the State's colleges and universities at a cost between in-state tuition paid by other residents, and tuition paid by students from outside Colorado.
Immigration is one of the cultural third rails of our time: few politicians regardless of party have come out to defend current immigration policy. Rightly so. Let's all agree that immigration policy is a huge mess and there have been few sincere attempts to try to fix it. But in this burst of honesty, let's also admit that anything that touches the third rail of immigration is an issue where emotion too often clouds judgment. And clear-eyed judgment strongly suggests that this is a bill that should be passed.
To start, let's be clear about what is not in the bill: taxpayer subsidies. Under the ASSET bill, undocumented students will pay both their share and the State's share of taxes. There is zero cost to Colorado's taxpayers. There is an additional cost to the undocumented students - who will pay on average about 40% more than traditional in-state tuition. The cost of college for undocumented students is neither free nor subsidized.
Let's also remember the bill's focus: students already in the U.S., - usually entering no later than 12 or 13 years of age, and often far earlier - who have completed high school and both want and are academically prepared to go to college. They have not dropped out of school; they do not have criminal records. Many were brought to this country by their parents or family members at a very young age and did not make the decision on their own to enter this country illegally. Think what you will, but recognize that the decision to come to the U.S. was made for them, not by them.
Think that their parents are criminals for this choice? Ok then. We can debate the appropriate punishment for parents who have broken the law to give their families a better life. But what we can't really debate is this: for no other crime committed by parents do we punish their children. Adults do some terrible things, and we do not diminish the rights of their children because of this conduct. Children of convicted thieves, perjurers, Wall-Street embezzlers, and serial murderers all get to vote, drive, move freely about the country, and pay in-state tuition.
Commentary: ASSET bill is morally, fiscally sound
January 24, 2012
By Moira Cullen, DFER Colorado State Director
(From Education News Colorado, January 24th 2012)
This commentary was submitted by Moira Cullen, Colorado state director of Democrats for Education Reform.
Senate Bill 12-015, the ASSET Bill, has its first committee hearing this Thursday, January 26th. The bill enables Colorado high school graduates -- regardless of their immigration status -- to attend the state's colleges and universities at a cost between in-state tuition paid by other residents and tuition paid by students from outside Colorado.
Immigration is one of the cultural third rails of our times: Just about no one of any political party will defend current immigration policy. Rightly so. Let's all agree that immigration policy is a huge mess that has resisted the few sincere attempts to try to fix it.
But in this burst of honesty, let's also admit that anything that touches the third rail of immigration is an issue where emotion too often clouds judgment. And clear-eyed judgment strongly suggests that this is a bill that should be passed.
To start, let's be clear about what is not in the bill: Taxpayer subsidies. Under the ASSET bill, undocumented students will pay both their share and the state's share. There is zero cost to Colorado's taxpayers, and an additional cost to the undocumented students - who will pay on average about 40 percent more than traditional in-state tuition. The cost of college for undocumented students is neither free nor subsidized.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: School Turnarounds and Profiteers
December 13, 2011
By Van Schoales, DFER Colorado Advisory Board Member and the CEO of A+ Denver
We recently did some research on the state of school turnarounds in Colorado. I was reminded of that great "spaghetti" western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. For those of you that don't remember the movie, it was a tale of intrigue, deceit and murder among three men (not so good, bad, and ugly) in a quest for buried gold in the context of the chaos of the Civil War. It's one of my favorite movies for the remarkable cinematography, directing, and character acting, not to mention one of the best scores ever. Oh yes, there's also the interesting sub-texts on war and the West.
So, what's the connection with the federal School Improvement Grant (SIG)/ turnaround schools program? The SIG program is hardly as interesting as the movie, but turnarounds are filled with struggle, conflict, and failure; often the only ones benefiting are the outside consultants making upwards of $5,000 a day. It's like the end of the movie where after all the death and destruction, the "not so good" walks into the sunset with the gold. In this case it's the consultants walking off with a check on their way to the next district. And who says education doesn't pay?
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for identifying the worst schools and doing everything possible to turn them around or, when necessary, replacing them with new high performing schools. My fear, however, is that while the SIG program will have done some good helping to support the development of a few new schools (like several here in Denver), most of the funds will go to ill-conceived and clumsily implemented interventions with little change in student outcomes.
I just don't believe that many states and districts have the appropriate levels of oversight nor the capacity to manage turnarounds. The current program shovels out $4.5 billion over four years to states with the expectation that state departments of education can effectively oversee the distribution of these funds to improve schools.
Reform Marches On in Denver
November 4, 2011
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