March 2022 Issue No images? Click here Greetings all, We hope your school year is going as well as can be expected and that Spring Break brings you some much needed R&R. We know that for some of you, these times are very challenging with divisive issues and a general lack of trust in our profession. So many times we can get caught up in the “us” versus “them” binary of a conflict. But if we ignore the nuance of conflict we can never hope to solve some of our most pressing problems. Amanda Ripley has written a book that has given me some hope, and more importantly strategies to move us forward. High Conflict: Why we get trapped and how we get out effectively describes the predicament and ways we can move forward. Teach Plus Colorado will be opening the application process for the 2022/23 fellowship in early April. Be on the lookout for more information on how to apply. You can read more about our fellowship here. Lots going on the Legislature these days:HB22-1202 will make important updates to the way schools are funded in Colorado. The school finance formula allocates targeted investments for our students and communities living in poverty and experiencing the most barriers to opportunity using the at-risk factor in the funding formula. HB22-1202, At-risk Student Measure For School Finance, expands the at-risk factor by identifying students at-risk based on enrollment in public benefit programs and census block data. These updates help make sure we fund our schools equitably and that the students who need support the most can get it. Currently there are three pieces of legislation winding their way through the Colorado Legislature. SB22-069 would eliminate the use of student data in a teacher’s evaluation if there are disruptions in the delivery of instruction due to a disaster emergency that occurs during a school year. It would require a two year delay in the use of student data in a teacher’s evaluation. Currently districts do have the ability to seek an emergency waiver in the use of student data if they believe there was significant disruption to student learning. SB22-044 would eliminate the use of student data in a teacher’s evaluation. SB22-070 is a more comprehensive approach to teacher evaluation and it mirrors recommendations that teachers made two years ago. The bill:
News & UpdatesCurrent Colorado Fellow Madison Stockton, a DPS elementary teacher, writes about why teachers need good mentors and why "identifying and recruiting experienced, empathetic mentors and making sure they have the necessary training and time to be successful" is important. Read more here >>> There's lots of consternation over whether or not teachers are leaving the profession in droves. Here are a couple of articles looking at the data: TEACH Colorado is supporting aspiring educators across the state on their path to licensure! Do you know a student, or someone in your community? TEACH Colorado provides all sorts of free resources, including:
Click here to create a free TEACH Colorado account and get immediate access to all of this and more! Share the Network!Do you know a teacher who would like to be a Teacher Network Partner? Forward this email and ask them to apply now! Be well! Mark Sass (he/him) |