Happy Holidays from EdNews

As an eventful year for Colorado education comes to a close, the EdNews staff is taking some time off to enjoy the season and prepare for a busy 2013. We’ll provide updates if any major news breaks over the next week or so, and our regular services and news coverage will resume after the new year begins.

Colorado students, educators, parents and policy makers experienced an eventful 2012. The legislature launched a major early-childhood literacy initiative, and lively debates over education policy and change continued in the Denver and Douglas County districts.

School funding pressures eased a bit, and voters strongly backed bond and operating revenue tax increases in a wide variety of districts. But school districts and state colleges continued to struggle with financial challenges, even as districts were working hard to implement new content standards, prepare for new state tests and lay the groundwork for new educator evaluation methods.

The coming year promises to be equally significant. State legislators and perhaps the public will face major decisions on modernization of school funding, and expected court decisions on school finance and the Douglas County voucher program could have important repercussions. New evaluation systems are scheduled to roll out in every district next fall. And November will see school board elections that could change the faces of leadership in key districts.

The turn of the year also marks an important milestone for EdNews – five years of service. We’re pleased – and sometimes a bit surprised – that our experiment in specialized, non-profit journalism, launched in January 2008, has survived and thrived.

We’re grateful for the support of our funders over that time, but we’re especially thankful to our readers, the people who made this enterprise successful because they found it useful in their lives and work.

Our promise is to continue serving you in the new year and for many more to come.