Education: IndyBlog, Colorado Springs Independent

Hick signs 'Breakfast After the Bell'

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:36:00 -0600

Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed the bill known as "Breakfast After the Bell" into law.

The law means that schools with higher levels of impoverished children will be required — with some exceptions — to serve a free breakfast to all students after the start of the school day.…

UPDATE: School Districts 2 and 11 want to feed the kids this summer

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:21:53 -0600

Colorado Springs School District 11's extensive summer feeding program will continue this year.

Anyone ages 1 to 18 is invited to eat free at one of many locations — both in neighborhoods and schools.…

About that in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants ...

Miguel Bustamante — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:57:00 -0600

If you haven’t heard by now, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently signed into law Senate Bill 033, allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain in-state tuition status in Colorado.

Now, if you're an out-of-state-but-a-citizen-of-these-United States-yet-can't-obtain-residency-status-until-two-years-so-paying-high-tuition student like myself, then you no doubt shook your head in frustration as you made your student loan payment this month.…

Life according to @OnlyAtUCCS

Edie Adelstein — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:13:00 -0600

As our Ralph Routon wrote about in this week's Between the Lines, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is expanding heavily and rapidly.

This means lots of local money and, naturally, lots of students, with plenty of charming college complaints and observations.…

Rep. Tony Exum to hold town hall

Chet Hardin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:57:00 -0600

On Saturday, Democratic Rep. Tony Exum Sr. will be holding a town hall to discuss the School Finance Reform Act.

From the Denver Post:

The new finance formula would revise the way money is distributed to schools, with greater emphasis on at-risk students and English-language learners and increased transparency in the way funds are spent.…
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D-11 wins honors for cool new libraries

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:26:00 -0600

I grew up a stereotype.

Too tall for my age, with bushy hair and bad fashion sense, I tended to walk down school hallways with my nose quite literally in a book.…

D-11 recall petitions approved

J. Adrian Stanley — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:42:00 -0700

Upset parents will get a chance to recall six members of the Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education, the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office announced today.

After some initial problems, the clerk approved the petitions to recall all the members of the board except Bob Null.…

UPDATE: D-11 recall back on

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:45:44 -0700

As expected, concerned parents have made needed changes to their D-11 recall petitions and resubmitted them.

EL PASO COUNTY CLERK AND RECORDER RECEIVES REVISED SUBMISSION OF D11 RECALL PETITIONS

[March 5, 2013 — Colorado Springs, CO] — The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s office today received a revised submission of petitions to recall six of seven Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education Directors (Nora Brown, Al Loma, LuAnn Long, Sandra Mann, Elaine Naleski, and Jan Tanner).…
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School of Innovation concept not dead yet

J. Adrian Stanley — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:34:17 -0700

In 2010, Wasson High School became the only Colorado Springs school with a special state designation giving it many of the freedoms of a charter school.

But since the District 11 Board of Education decided that it will close Wasson at the end of the year, the School of Innovation concept looked like it would be short-lived in the Springs.…

Transgender 6-year-old takes on Fountain school district

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:43:41 -0700

Kathryn and Jeremy Mathis are the proud parents of five kids: a 9-year-old girl, a 2-year-old girl, and 6-year-old triplets.

When the triplets were born, it appeared they had two boys, Max and Coy, and one girl, Lily.…

PPLD approved for $750,000 challenge grant

Matthew Grieson — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:37:11 -0700

At the beginning of Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 publication, The Great Good Place, he quotes Max Lerner talking about the “quest for community” in his 1957 writing, America as a Civilization. This “quest for community” is at the heart of a gracefully working society.…

D-11 will close Wasson

J. Adrian Stanley — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:41:06 -0700

As expected, the Colorado Springs District 11 Board of Education voted to close Wasson High School and repurpose the building in last night's meeting. The district will also close two elementary schools.…

Wasson supporters rallying Tuesday

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:53:08 -0700

Supporters of Wasson High School, which is facing closure due to low enrollment, will rally in support of the school tomorrow.

The following details come courtesy of Wasson PTA president Fred Crofford:

On Tuesday, 05 February, at 3PM, The Wasson PTA, Wasson alumni, concerned citizens, Wasson students and Mr. Rick "Goose" Gossage will be meeting at the T-Bird located behind Wasson High School.…
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Meeting tomorrow to reveal Wasson "truths"

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:01:47 -0700

The Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education will consider closing three schools, including Wasson High School, on Feb. 6.

But Wasson supporters, including alumnus and Major League great Goose Gossage, are speaking out now.…

Ivy League education in a box!

Bill Forman — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:19:20 -0700

Ever felt like taking courses at Princeton, University of London or Berklee College of Music — for free?

In the eight months since online education site Coursera started up, some 2.5 million people have used it to take university-level classes in everything from computer science to Aboriginal culture.

Courses generally range from six to 10 weeks, and there are hundreds to sign up for.…

Now's the time to comment on school closures

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:39:37 -0700

Love Wasson? Crazy about Bates or Lincoln?

Colorado Springs School District 11 is having meetings to take public input on proposed school closures, but time is running out.…

UCCS gets new provost

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:54:22 -0700

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has a new provost.

Mary Coussons-Read, CU Denver's associate vice chancellor for research, professor of psychology and professor of community and behavioral health, will direct UCCS' academic and research mission.…

Public invited to comment on school closure ideas

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:31:21 -0700

An optimization study for Colorado Springs School District 11 has suggested closing several schools, recalling actions in 2009, when the district shuttered eight schools due to low budgets, aging buildings and declining enrollment.

Among other ideas, the study suggested closing Wasson High School, leaving the city's largest school district with four mainstream high schools, and closing Mann Middle School.…

D-11's innovative approach to math helping kids

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:34:55 -0700

Colorado Springs School District 11's use of a computer game to teach math is paying off for kids.

Since implementing ST Math, the district has seen scores sky rocket.…

Making kids smarter

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:27:58 -0700

A growing number of school children in the Pikes Peak region are getting the latest technology, thanks to Neumann Systems Group's recently formed Neumann Education Foundation.

NSG is the company that's installing pollution control equipment on Drake Power Plant downtown under a contract with Colorado Springs Utilities.…

Mike Miles making friends in Dallas (like it or not)

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:45:09 -0700

Former Harrison School District 2 superintendent Mike Miles certainly brought about a lot of changes during his tenure, which ended over the summer.

But he was known as "controversial" for a reason.…

UPDATE (No. 2): Academy dean of faculty to retire

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:57:59 -0700

UPDATE (No. 2): James Roche, a retired Naval officer who served as Secretary of the Air Force from 2001 to 2005, was the one who promoted Born to dean of faculty and he writes this to us about her departure:

Pam, thanks much for letting many of us know of Dana's retirement. She was the first woman to be the Dean.…
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UPDATE: 27 hurt in Air Force Academy snow 'ritual'

Kirk Woundy — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:30:57 -0600

The Air Force Academy has released a statement about this year's "First Shirt/First Snow" event. Turns out that the original injury tally was too low: Actually, 27 cadets were hurt, six of whom were taken to a local hospital.…

AFA breaks ground on character and leadership center

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:52:01 -0600

On Friday, the Air Force Academy held a ceremony to break ground on its Center for Character and Leadership Development. We wrote about the academy's honor code in April, including research conducted by Frederick Malmstrom, a graduate and former visiting professor.…

UPDATE: AFA to break ground on character center

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:22:37 -0600

UPDATE: We just received this missive from John Van Winkle, academy spokesman:

The public is indeed invited to the event. We plan to issue a press release next week about it.…
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