Colorado is a state with a rich educational history, boasting 179 public school districts that are each governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. If a vacancy occurs on a school board, the remaining members must adopt a resolution declaring the vacancy. The Colorado General Assembly has established the State Board of Education to provide guidance on educational issues, and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to manage the educational details of the Board. The Colorado Term Limits Act, which was added to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution, limits any elected non-judicial official from any county, city, town, school district, or other political subdivision to serving no more than two consecutive terms in office. In order to provide students with more options for their education, some districts have chosen to implement a 4-day week for financial reasons.
Additionally, school choice options in Colorado include charter schools, a limited location-specific voucher program, open enrollment policies, and online learning programs. The main unions related to the Colorado school system are the Colorado Education Association (CEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and the Colorado Federation of Teachers. GreatSchools is a leading non-profit organization that provides high-quality information to help parents get an excellent education for their children, schools that strive for excellence, and communities that work to reduce inequalities in education. The high school dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some point during the school year and who were expected to be enrolled in grades 9 through 12 the following school year, but who were not enrolled before October 1 of the following school year. As a dynamic service agency, CDE provides leadership, resources, support and accountability to help districts develop the capacity needed to meet the needs of the state's 889,006 public school students. Compared to three neighboring states (New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming), Colorado students scored the highest in all categories.
However, Colorado schools reported a graduation rate of 76.9 percent, the second lowest among neighboring states. The following link is to the most recent stories from a Google news search for the terms Colorado education policy. Additionally, this is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced or passed by the Colorado state legislature.
