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May 17: Week in Review

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May 17: Week in Review

This week the Greeley Tribune published my column on the progress Colorado is making -- and still needs to make -- in order to ensure fair funding for public charter schools. More from the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Charter Schools Look for Fairer Funding (Podcast) Amy Oliver Show: An Outside Look at Douglas County Reform (Podcast) How Can Jeffco Union Leaders' Bad Faith Bargaining Be Good for Kids? (Ed Is Watching) International Report Shines Light on Colorado Education Performance Gap (Ed Is Watching) So Glad to Find Insights and Direction for HB 1382's K-12 Online Pilot Programs (Ed Is Watching) Finished One Good(read) Book This Week Life After Art: What You Forgot about Life and Faith since Leaving the Art … [Read more...]

Survey Says Colorado Losing Luster with Business Executives

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Survey Says Colorado Losing Luster with Business Executives

Business executives’ opinion of Colorado as a place to engage in commerce has continued its downward slide during the administration of a governor ironically noted for his business background. In the 2014 edition of Chief Executive‘s Best and Worst States for Business, released on May 8, Colorado checks in at 16th. The rankings are based on surveys of more than 500 CEOs, grading states based on a series of measures that include “tax and regulatory regime, the quality of the workforce, and the quality of the living environment.” …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

May 10: Week in Review

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May 10: Week in Review

Last weekend the temperature topped out in the 80s. The warm weather has helped to encourage the irises in our front yard that the time has come to bloom. Yet today we're looking down the barrel of a major snowstorm for a Mother's Day forecast. Welcome to springtime in Colorado! This week I was quoted in a Colorado Observer story about national teachers union leadership aligning with the "ultra-Left Democracy Alliance":“This revelation further validates the Douglas County school board’s insistence that the district and its taxpayers get out of the business of collecting funds for a national political agenda,” DeGrow said. “The AFT has aligned itself with a highly partisan clique that’s out of step with the values of many Dougco teachers … [Read more...]

May 3: Week in Review

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May 3: Week in Review

In most respects, it wasn't a slow week. But as far as new published writings, it was downright quiet. Nonetheless, there are a few items to point out. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Moms Lead Effort to Protect Student Privacy (Podcast) Denver Post: “Fundamental Fairness” in Jeffco Charter Student Funding Plan (Ed Is Watching) Outperforming International Peers: A Delicious Piece of Dougco PISA News Forget HB 1292 Transparency Soap Opera: Make it an Old Gangster Film Teachers vs. the Public on K-12 Education: Scratching the Surface Top Facebook Links of the Week Why Education Reform? Here's Why: Is Free Speech Endangered in America? (Powerline Blog) No Prerequisite for Basic Historical Literacy: … [Read more...]

April 26: Week in Review

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April 26: Week in Review

Last weekend the Denver Post published my letter responding to the editorial asserting the version of the Student Success Act (HB 1292) that passed the House would make Colorado "a national leader in transparency." From the Ed is Watching blog: Hooray! Kansas Becomes 14th State to Adopt K-12 Scholarship Tax Credits Is It Time to Rethink the Colorado Department of Education’s Role? Could Stopping a Teachers Union Vote Make a New “Hammer” Celebrity? Finished One Good(read) Book This Week George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger: The subtitle may oversell the story, but it is a quick read that offers some interesting insights into the mechanics of 18th … [Read more...]

Denver Attorney Spearheads Grassroots Judicial Reform

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Denver Attorney Spearheads Grassroots Judicial Reform

Openly challenging judicial prerogatives isn’t a common trait in his profession, and political activism marks a new experience for him. But Denver attorney Chris Forsyth has stepped forward to lead an uphill battle to get a pair of judicial reform initiatives on the 2014 statewide ballot. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

April 19: Week in Review

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April 19: Week in Review

There's nothing like Holy Week and the joyous anticipation of our Savior's resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some of my favorite sacred songs and texts impress themselves deeply into the mind and heart during this special time of year (see below). But there were other more mundane matters to write about as well. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Jeffco School Board Steps Forward (Podcast) Breath of Fresh Air: Teachers Stand Up Against Tenure Lawsuit, Union Bullying (Ed Is Watching) How to Avoid the Munchkins: A Little Tenure Reform Advice for Kansas (Ed Is Watching) Cheering for New Hampshire Kids to Win Their Day in (the Supreme) Court (Ed Is Watching) Large-Scale Class Size Reduction Doesn’t Work: More Moderation, … [Read more...]

Colorado Takes Steep Tumble in Economic Outlook Rankings

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Colorado Takes Steep Tumble in Economic Outlook Rankings

For the second consecutive year, Colorado took a tumble in the national rankings for economic outlook. A gradual weakening of taxpayer protections, combined with pro-growth gains in other states, have pushed Colorado from near the top of the heap to the middle. No state has slipped further faster. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

April 12: Week in Review

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April 12: Week in Review

Judging by the content posted here since last Saturday, it's been a fairly productive week of writing. Now for the rest of the update, as we await the results from the Colorado GOP Assembly. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Greeley Dives into Blended Learning (Podcast) Another ADM Study? HB 1292 Student Success Act Soap Opera Plays Rerun (Ed Is Watching) School Choice Programs Growing Fast; Kansas Looks Like Next State to Join (Ed Is Watching) Testing, Data Issues around Common Core Alive and Kicking in Colorado (Ed Is Watching) Jeffco Board Makes More Money Follow Students, Brings a Jan Brady Smile (Ed Is Watching) Top Social Media Links of the Week Extensive Tweeting this week from Monday's open union … [Read more...]

Jeffco Union Should Honor Its Own Calls for Transparency

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Jeffco Union Should Honor Its Own Calls for Transparency

The Jefferson County Education Association came to Monday’s contract negotiations with a plan to walk out, and they seized the moment. With discussions over compensation scarcely begun, JCEA negotiators stepped away from the bargaining table—and from transparency. This road has been traveled before. JCEA and other affiliates of Colorado’s largest teachers union have declared impasse more than once in recent years. …Read the rest of my article at Complete Colorado Page Two…. … [Read more...]