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By STATE REP. KAREN MIDDLETON
Colorado House District 42
From: Aurora Sentinel
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:28 PM MST
Aurora Public Schools is leading the charge in dropout prevention and improving graduation rates.
Recently, the Denver Post reported on indicators of improved student progress toward graduation. According to the Post, 4.8 percent more 12th-graders are enrolled in school in Colorado this year than in 2008-2009.
Aurora Public Schools saw a 23.7 percent increase in the number of 12th graders enrolled in school this year and the Denver metro area has seen similar progress.
The improvements we are seeing across the state are a direct result of Aurora’s leadership and courage, demonstrating a willingness to try new approaches. When the Colorado Graduates Initiative, a nonprofit collaboration, asked districts to participate in pilot programs seeking solutions to our high school dropout crisis, APS stepped up to the plate. The data gathered from those programs taught us what to look for in predicting the likelihood that a student would graduate or drop out of high school.
Because districts like Aurora piloted and modeled dropout prevention programs, the Colorado Department of Education is able to help other districts implement programs that will meet their needs.
Colorado has intentionally focused on improving graduation rates. For example, in 2008 the state implemented the Colorado School Counselor Grant Program. I was proud to sponsor this legislation, which provided grants to improve school counseling, including online school planning tools like Naviance and College in Colorado. Anyone who has used these tools knows how valuable they are in analyzing the opportunities for any given student and laying the path toward that student’s success.
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:28 PM MST
Aurora Public Schools is leading the charge in dropout prevention and improving graduation rates.
Recently, the Denver Post reported on indicators of improved student progress toward graduation. According to the Post, 4.8 percent more 12th-graders are enrolled in school in Colorado this year than in 2008-2009.
Aurora Public Schools saw a 23.7 percent increase in the number of 12th graders enrolled in school this year and the Denver metro area has seen similar progress.
The improvements we are seeing across the state are a direct result of Aurora’s leadership and courage, demonstrating a willingness to try new approaches. When the Colorado Graduates Initiative, a nonprofit collaboration, asked districts to participate in pilot programs seeking solutions to our high school dropout crisis, APS stepped up to the plate. The data gathered from those programs taught us what to look for in predicting the likelihood that a student would graduate or drop out of high school.
Because districts like Aurora piloted and modeled dropout prevention programs, the Colorado Department of Education is able to help other districts implement programs that will meet their needs.
Colorado has intentionally focused on improving graduation rates. For example, in 2008 the state implemented the Colorado School Counselor Grant Program. I was proud to sponsor this legislation, which provided grants to improve school counseling, including online school planning tools like Naviance and College in Colorado. Anyone who has used these tools knows how valuable they are in analyzing the opportunities for any given student and laying the path toward that student’s success.
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:28 PM MST
Aurora Public Schools is leading the charge in dropout prevention and improving graduation rates.
Recently, the Denver Post reported on indicators of improved student progress toward graduation. According to the Post, 4.8 percent more 12th-graders are enrolled in school in Colorado this year than in 2008-2009.
Aurora Public Schools saw a 23.7 percent increase in the number of 12th graders enrolled in school this year and the Denver metro area has seen similar progress.
The improvements we are seeing across the state are a direct result of Aurora’s leadership and courage, demonstrating a willingness to try new approaches. When the Colorado Graduates Initiative, a nonprofit collaboration, asked districts to participate in pilot programs seeking solutions to our high school dropout crisis, APS stepped up to the plate. The data gathered from those programs taught us what to look for in predicting the likelihood that a student would graduate or drop out of high school.
Because districts like Aurora piloted and modeled dropout prevention programs, the Colorado Department of Education is able to help other districts implement programs that will meet their needs.
Colorado has intentionally focused on improving graduation rates. For example, in 2008 the state implemented the Colorado School Counselor Grant Program. I was proud to sponsor this legislation, which provided grants to improve school counseling, including online school planning tools like Naviance and College in Colorado. Anyone who has used these tools knows how valuable they are in analyzing the opportunities for any given student and laying the path toward that student’s success.
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:28 PM MST
Aurora Public Schools is leading the charge in dropout prevention and improving graduation rates.
Recently, the Denver Post reported on indicators of improved student progress toward graduation. According to the Post, 4.8 percent more 12th-graders are enrolled in school in Colorado this year than in 2008-2009.
Aurora Public Schools saw a 23.7 percent increase in the number of 12th graders enrolled in school this year and the Denver metro area has seen similar progress.
The improvements we are seeing across the state are a direct result of Aurora’s leadership and courage, demonstrating a willingness to try new approaches. When the Colorado Graduates Initiative, a nonprofit collaboration, asked districts to participate in pilot programs seeking solutions to our high school dropout crisis, APS stepped up to the plate. The data gathered from those programs taught us what to look for in predicting the likelihood that a student would graduate or drop out of high school.
Because districts like Aurora piloted and modeled dropout prevention programs, the Colorado Department of Education is able to help other districts implement programs that will meet their needs.
Colorado has intentionally focused on improving graduation rates. For example, in 2008 the state implemented the Colorado School Counselor Grant Program. I was proud to sponsor this legislation, which provided grants to improve school counseling, including online school planning tools like Naviance and College in Colorado. Anyone who has used these tools knows how valuable they are in analyzing the opportunities for any given student and laying the path toward that student’s success.
Last year we created the Colorado Department of Education’s Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement through another bill I was happy to sponsor. This office collaborates with local education providers to develop a report of best practices for reducing the dropout rate. It identifies school districts with high dropout rates and provides assistance to them. The law also creates a grant program to fund local district efforts to provide educational services for student engagement and re-engagement in school.
Because of the leadership of districts like Aurora, and the willingness of our state to tackle this issue head on, Colorado is now being recognized as a national leader for its work on improving graduation rates.
In January, Colorado was selected as one of six states to participate in the National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices’ State Strategies to Achieve Graduation for All initiative. This initiative will set the stage for a nationwide effort to get students graduated.
During a legislative session when we have daunting budgetary challenges before us, I take inspiration from the progress our students and schools are making despite limited resources. It is heartening that Colorado’s efforts have been recognized and we are well-positioned to participate in this initiative that will lead the nation in finding ways to keep kids in school.
State Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, has represented Colorado’s House District 42 since 2008.
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