Category Archives: College and Career Preparation

The Problem with Growth Scores

Posted on August 20, 2013 by axooms

Let’s start with something on which everyone should agree: metrics are neither inherently good nor inherently evil.  They are simply calculations — ticks on a stick that measure time, distance, speed, place, or other attributes.  All measurements can be used … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, District Performance, School Performance | 1 Comment

2013 School Performance in Denver

Posted on August 19, 2013 by axooms

TCAP data was released last week, and the focus in Denver was an emphasis on median growth percentiles. Now I think academic growth is really important, and I’m on record as saying the Colorado Growth Model is one of the most … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, District Performance, School Performance | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Standardized March Madness

Posted on April 10, 2013 by axooms

March brings with it two education rituals: college becomes young adults trying to get an orange ball through an iron circle, and K-12 public education transforms into students filling in small circles of multiple choice questions. The month-long NCAA tournament … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, Student Achievement | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tuition subsidies: A difference of degrees

Posted on October 29, 2012 by axooms

States subsidize college for many of their residents.  Generally this has been perceived as a good trade-off: a state (and its taxpayers) benefit in a variety of ways by having a more educated populace and workforce. But with budgets under … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, Fiscal & Economic, Higher Education, Innovation, Teacher Compensation, Teacher Preparation | Leave a comment

The graduation-proficiency gap in DPS

Posted on June 6, 2011 by axooms

The recent Westword article on Denver North High School’s manipulation of its graduation rates, the  belief that “juking the stats” likely spreads beyond a single school and a sage comment at the end of Alan’s post wondering what other Denver high schools were … Continue reading →

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Low-income students and college

Posted on July 7, 2010 by axooms

An evil twin to Paul’s earlier post about the continuing economic benefits of a college education is the depressing news that fewer and fewer low-income students are both attending and graduating from college (see full article): Fewer low- and moderate-income high school graduates … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, Poverty | Leave a comment

Why college matters

Posted on April 22, 2010 by axooms

Taking a break from state politics, and a short piece in The Economist with some sharp points on why students need to be prepared for college, and have the fiscal and academic ability to attend: In 2007 graduates earned 77% more per … Continue reading →

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