Purpose: Using the social ecological model as a guiding framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the status of physical education in Colorado. Method: A sequential explanatory mixed-method approach was employed to acquire a snapshot of the status of physical education. Participants completed an initial survey followed by semistructured…

This report provides a summary of the 17 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans submitted by May 31, 2017 to the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of this report is to provide an at-a-glance look at how states articulated decisions related to standards, assessment, accountability, and instruction of English learners in their submitted…

Research has shown that few educational reform efforts have achieved significant, long-lasting improvement in student achievement. In order to accelerate growth in student achievement, many researchers have advocated the development of cultures of evaluative inquiry. In a culture of evaluative inquiry, teachers use data to identify instructional…

In conjunction with the Denver Plan instituted in 2005, Denver Public Schools (DPS) has embarked upon a consistent strategy of opening new schools in an effort to improve overall academic performance. DPS has pursued this strategy under several different paths: an annual request for proposals from charter school applicants; allowing current…

The rationale for taking bold action on the nation's persistently failing schools can be summed up in one dramatic and disturbing statistic: half of the young Americans who drop out of high school attend just 12 percent of the nation's schools. Ending the cycle of failure at schools is a daunting challenge and a surprisingly controversial one.…

This Colorado state standards guide lists six model content standards for history education in Colorado elementary schools. Standards cited in the guide are: (1) students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major eras to identify and explain historical relationships; (2) students…

This guide is part of a series produced by the U.S. Department of Education, and it builds on two previous works: "Successful Charter Schools" (ED493615) and "Charter High Schools Closing the Achievement Gap" (ED494482). It profiles seven K-8 charter schools that are making headway in narrowing gaps in achievement. It examines…

Theater, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways children learn about life--about actions and consequences, about customs and beliefs, about others and themselves. Theater arts benefit the student because they cultivate the whole person, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition,…

The state of Colorado has set forth six content standards for dance education in its public schools: (1) students will understand and demonstrate dance skills; (2) students will understand and apply the principles of choreography; (3) students will create, communicate, and problem solve through dance; (4) students will understand and relate the…

These Colorado state music content standards are based on the idea that music education benefits students by developing them fully and gradually building music literacy while cultivating intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. The guide suggests that standards provide a substantive…

This guide lists six model content standards for geography education in Colorado elementary schools. Standards cited in the guide are: (1) students know how to use and construct maps, globes, and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, and environments; (2) students know the physical and human characteristics…

The geography standards for Colorado schools offer suggestions for geography education that prepare students to cope with the complexities of contemporary life. The standards give students a firm grasp of the place and terrain that surrounds them; the patterns of human development around the world; and the interactions of peoples, places, and…

This paper addresses state and local level issues linked with Goals 2000 in Colorado and seeks to shed light on the development of geography content standards in one Colorado school district. The paper begins with a succinct review of Colorado's standards-based educational reform and the creation of the state's model content standards. After a…

The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has been underway since 1997. Since then, fourth grade students have been assessed annually on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Reading and Writing. In 1998, testing began on third grade reading. Over the course of time, other grades and subject areas will be phased in. In the fall of 1999,…

This booklet outlines the model content standards in reading and writing for students in the state of Colorado. The booklet cites the following six standards for public school elementary and secondary students: (1) students read and understand a variety of materials; (2) students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences; (3)…