What’s churning:
A new report, “Discipline Policies, Successful Schools, and Racial Justice,” argues that disproportionately large numbers of minority students in the U.S. are being removed from schools for relatively minor infractions and that overuse and abuse of zero tolerance polices and other forms of student discipline are having a detrimental effect on student achievement.
The report, by Dan Losen of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, was released in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Kevin Welner, director of the University of Colorado’s National Education Policy Center, which commissioned and published the Losen study, said at the news conferene, “Although our society is more diverse than ever before, schools today are more segregated than they were 30 years ago. It’s important to understand the link between diversity, discipline and academic achievement. The evidence presented by Losen shows that minority students are treated more harshly when it comes to discipline, and as a result of this harsh treatment they suffer academically.” Link to the study
Meanwhile, members of the Colorado Legislative Task Force to Study Discipline are considering proposing a comprehensive discipline law reform bill to the 2012 legislature. (You can read the current draft here.) The panel meets again on Oct. 18 to discuss the draft (committee website).
Theresa Peña, outgoing Denver school board member, has received one of five 2011 Education Warrior Awards from Democrats for Education reform. Peña will continue to be a figure on the city’s education scene as head of Mayor Michael Hancock’s Denver Education Compact. DFER news release
In case you missed it: A Denver judge has denied the Colorado Education Association’s request for a preliminary injunction suspending the state regulation that requires schools to notify parents of teacher arrests. Details
What’s on tap:
Officials of the University of Colorado Denver and the Colorado Community College System are holding a 10 a.m. news conference to announce a new “admission promise” for community college graduates looking to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UCD. School leaders are billing as “the first public university program of its kind in the Denver Metro area to provide an added but essential component of on-campus advising from the University of Colorado Denver as part of its transfer guarantee.”
EdNews understands that the program will mean that community college students who sign on for the program as they begin their community college experience will be eligible for a direct transfer into UCD and will receive intensive advising from UCD academic advisors. The initiative will involve the Arapahoe, Aurora, Denver, Front Range and Red Rocks community colleges.
The event will be held at the North Classroom Building of the Auraria Higher Education Center.
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education meets starting at 10 a.m. at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Much of the commission’s time at meetings this fall will be devoted to work on the higher education master plan called for by 2011 legislation. Agenda
Jefferson County school board members meet at 5 p.m. in closed session to discuss their superintendent’s evaluation. The public portion is scheduled to begin about 6 p.m. at 1829 Denver West Drive in Golden. The agenda includes discussion on a motion to support Proposition 103, the statewide ballot initiative to raise taxes to increase education funding.
Denver Public Schools board members meet at 4:30 p.m. in closed session to discuss their superintendent’s evaluation. They convene in public at about 5:30 p.m. for a work session focusing on the district’s School Performance Framework results and Denver Plan goals. Agenda
All nine candidates for the three Denver Public Schools board of education seats on the Nov. 1 ballot are expected tonight for a candidate forum sponsored by Metro Organizations for People. The event is set for 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bruce Randolph School, 3955 Steele St. Desserts, Spanish interpretation and child care will be provided.