Education Briefs HOUSE PANEL MOVES 4 BILLS FORWARD
The Colorado House Committee on Education voted this week to advance four bills related to education.
• HB 20-1011 would create a public awareness program about early childhood development for parents and providers.
• HB 20-1016 would direct the Colorado Department of Human Services to provide technical assistance to more early childhood programs looking to improve quality.
• HB 20-1043 would change the effective date of a tax credit for child care workers. The tax credit bill passed last year but never went into effect, because a companion bill didn’t pass.
• HB 20-1053 would allow people seeking an early childhood education credential to put professional experience toward it, direct state agencies to streamline credentialing requirements and create a scholarship program for people going into the field.
Also, a bill directing the
Department of Human Services to oversee the creation of an online directory of mental health resources passed the House Committee on Public Health Care and Human Services.
Partnership tries to recruit teachers. Anew partnership among school districts, state agencies, colleges of education and others will attempt to recruit more Colorado residents into teaching.
TEACH Colorado includes a website where people interested in teaching can learn about the job and find resources for applying to teacher preparation programs and scholarships. It also will run an advertising campaign and help connect aspiring teachers to experienced ones for advice.
According to the Colorado Department of Education, there were 7,773 teaching jobs available across Colorado during the 2018-19 school year. About 900 of those jobs were filled with long-term substitutes, and 264 went unfilled. Rural schools have a more difficult time filling jobs, and many types of districts struggle to find special education teachers.
Foundation recognizes Denver school. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, funded by Facebook executive Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan, listed one Denver Public Schools program in its list of schools promoting students’ full development.
Girls Athletic Leadership School was one of 10 schools profiled.
GALS is a single-gender charter middle and high school with an emphasis on integrating movement into the school day. The same leaders also founded The Boys School of Denver and a GALS school in Los Angeles. All students take part in a “morning movement” activity, such as running, CrossFit or yoga. They also have a daily class focused on relationships, wellness and goals.
GALS Middle School is rated yellow (the middle level) in DPS’s accountability system, while GALS High School is rated red (the lowest level) due to low test scores.