Start with the Facts: Strengthening Denver Public Schools’ Education Pipeline
Across all grade levels and subject areas, Denver Public Schools’ (DPS) students are making steady gains in academic achievement, but student outcomes remain below state averages for each grade and subject area, according to Start with the Facts: Strengthening Denver Public Schools’ Education Pipeline, released today by A+ Denver, the Colorado Children’s Campaign, and Metro Organizations for People (MOP). The report looks at key transition points for DPS students from 2005 to 2011 in order to assess outcomes and trends in academic achievement and growth as students move from preschool through K–12 and into college. In addition, the report identifies potential barriers to student success and recommends strategies for improvement.
Among the primary findings:
- Enrollment in DPS schools has increased. But, compared to other large school districts in the state, DPS has the highest number of students choosing to enroll elsewhere.
- Data indicate that gaps in school readiness between lower-income children and higher-income children participating in the Denver Preschool Program are minimized by the end of the preschool year.
- Between 2005 and 2011, DPS 4th graders overall made progress in each subject area. But, higher-income DPS students improved faster than their lower-income peers, widening the achievement gap.
- Among DPS students, 8th graders made the greatest overall improvement in the percentage scoring proficient or advanced between 2005 and 2011. Both higher- and lower-income DPS students improved faster than students statewide in all subjects.
- Since 2005, the percentage of DPS 10th graders scoring proficient or advanced has increased in all subjects for both higher- and lower-income students, outpacing gains in state averages. But proficiency levels drop across all subjects between middle and high school for both higher- and lower-income students.
- DPS on-time graduation rates have increased slightly, from 46.4 percent in 2009 to 51.8 percent in 2010, while annual high school dropout rates have decreased substantially from 11.1 percent in 2006 to 6.4 percent in 2010.
- ACT composite scores have improved from 15.4 in 2005 to 17.6 in 2011, outpacing growth at the state level. And, the number and percentage of DPS students going to college have improved. But the number and percentage requiring remediation in college have also increased.
The report provides several recommendations aimed at helping policymakers, education advocates, educators, parents, and students better understand the progress of DPS students. For example, the report suggests tracking the performance of all students in the Denver Preschool Program using a common statewide tool like the Results Matter program, giving equal weight to student achievement scores and student growth scores when reporting on student performance, and including information on each DPS high schools’ on-time graduation, college enrollment, and remediation rates on their school websites and providing parents with that information.
Start with the Facts Strengthening Denver Public Schools Education Pipeline
Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: A Series on Maternal and Child Health in Colorado
The overall health and well-being of a child is substantially impacted by the health of the child’s mother. Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: A Series on Maternal and Child Health in Colorado provides research analysis in the areas of domestic violence, maternal depression, healthy pregnancies, family structure and unintended teen pregnancy, social determinants of health, and nutrition.
In addition to providing the best available and most recent data on issues related to maternal and child health, each brief also includes a section on best practices, highlighting examples of programs and strategies proven to combat negative health outcomes.
Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: A Series on Maternal and Child Health in Colorado
2011 Legislative Priorities
With families across Colorado continuing to struggle with the lasting impacts of the Great Recession and the state facing record revenue shortfalls, the 2011 session will no doubt be a challenging one. In preparation for the 2011 legislative session we've identified a number of legislative priorities.
2011 Legislative Priorities
2010 Legislative Impacts
In 2010, the Colorado Children's Campaign worked successfully with state policymakers and our partners to protect funding for the programs and services most critical to Colorado's children. We also helped pass several pieces of legislation to ensure those programs and services are as efficient and effective as possible, providing the highest quality services to Colorado’s kids.
2010 Legislative Impacts
Colorado Children's Budget 2010
As Colorado families and children continue to suffer through the recession and policymakers and child advocates struggle to determine where to invest increasingly limited funds in order to best serve them, the Colorado Children’s Campaign believes that non-partisan data and analysis of the state budget’s impact on Colorado kids is critical. The Colorado Children’s Budget 2010 aims to provide just that. Intended to be a resource guide to policymakers and advocates alike, the Children’s Budget provides high-level trend data to show where state dollars are being spent to benefit children. It attempts to simplify often complicated budget information and, while it does include some analysis of the raw budget data in order to provide clarity, it is not intended to advocate for or against budget and policy decisions, past or future.
For those of us who are not economists, the data in this report might appear overwhelming. Here are a few of the highlights:
- Colorado’s investment in children’s programs since 2000 has been minimal to moderate. In real dollar terms, the purchasing power of money invested in children’s programs and services has declined steadily since 2000.
- While programs and services for children are intended to work in concert, they tend to have very different federal, state and local rules, regulations and obligations, often making it difficult to align programs and services and maximize the benefits for kids.
- Most appropriations for children’s services are allocated to counties and local entities through the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) with counties maintaining program oversight responsibilities. CDHS is the only state department in which total investments grew only minimally since 2000.
- Overall, whether or not a program experienced growth hinged on one of three factors: (1) state constitutional protections; (2) dedicated cash fund revenue; or (3) ability to leverage substantial federal funding in lieu of or in addition to block grants, making it critically important for policymakers and child advocates to consider Colorado’s constitutional constraints on the state budget, as well as dedicated state funding sources and federal funding for programs and services, when evaluating fiscal policies that impact children.
Answering the Call: A Report on Colorado’s High School Dropouts and Best Practices for Improving Educational Outcomes
Answering the Call: A Report on Colorado’s High School Dropouts and Best Practices for Improving Educational Outcomes highlights the scope of the dropout problem in the Colorado and reports on recent policies showing encouraging results.
The report notes that Colorado has the fourth highest dropout rate in the nation among high school students. Nearly 15,000 Colorado students dropped out of school in 2008-09 and much of the dropout problem is concentrated in certain schools across the state – referred to by some as “dropout factories” – which graduate less than 60 percent of their students. While the dropout problem persists in Colorado, the data shows we are making progress in reducing the number of dropouts thanks to policies and practices embraced in the last three years. Many districts are benefiting from the state’s 2009 Dropout Prevention and Student Re-Engagement law, which supports improvements in priority school districts through research-based early warning indicators and other best practices. Looking ahead, the report notes that more work is needed and makes recommendations for both state and local level policies to address the dropout crisis in Colorado.
Answering the Call: A Report on Colorado’s High School Dropouts and Best Practices for Improving Educational OutcomesSchool Wellness in Colorado: Findings from a Survey of Large School Districts
In September 2010, the Children’s Campaign conducted a survey of the nutrition, physical activity and Physical Education (P.E.) policies of 23 of Colorado’s largest school districts representing about 79 percent of all Colorado students in public schools. The report, School Wellness in Colorado: Findings from a Survey of Large School Districts, found that only four of these districts require that all school snacks for all students meet nutritional standards; only four of the 23 districts require P.E. for elementary and middle school students; and just one of the surveyed districts requires a specific number of physical activity minutes for students. The report also compares Colorado statewide policies to other states, noting that Colorado is just one of two states that does not require P.E. courses.
School Wellness in Colorado: Findings from a Survey of Large School DistrictsStudent Enrollment Count Mechanisms for School Funding: A Survey of State Policies
States use different mechanisms for counting students for the purpose of funding school districts. These approaches have important consequences for retaining students in school through the academic year and accurately compensating districts for the students in their schools. This report provides an overview of count date policies used in all 50 states and an analysis of the implications of those policies for school funding and student completion.
Student Enrollment Count Mechanisms for School Funding: A Survey of State Policies2010 Legislative Priorities
The Colorado Children's Campaign has prepared a list of priorities for the 2010 legislative session. In this challenging economic climate, our focus is on protecting key budget items and pursuing policy changes that protect Colorado’s children.
2010 Legislative PrioritiesFacts on Kids Health: A Primer - Fact Sheet
This fact sheet offers info on uninsured kids in Colorado, state spending on healthcare, outcomes for Colorado's children, and costs to the state.
Facts on Kids Health: A Primer - Fact Sheet