Bill would make CPR a grad requirement

A new bill would require high school graduates to know CPR, and chatter has increased about the future of the BEST program.

Notification rule in hands of Denver judge

A judge’s decision is the next step in the legal fight over the state rule requiring parents be notified when teachers are arrested.

Professional associations are the future of teaching

I wholeheartedly support teachers’ right to agree with and join a union, should they choose. However, I equally support teachers’ right to disagree with the union and join a professional association.

As a former member of the National Education Association, I witnessed first-hand as union officials were always trying to get us teachers riled up, as though we were laborers, not professionals. The union didn’t provide us with sound information and foster healthy, intelligent conversations; it always seemed more like “Get in line, or get out of the way.”

It is this approach that leads to counter-productive entrenchment, instead of cooperation towards what should be the goal: Improving student achievement.

I was ecstatic to learn that there is a growing movement amongst educators toward a more professional approach. Association of American Educators (AAE) nationally and Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE) here in Colorado are leading the way by providing teachers with a choice of professional organization. AAE and PACE are non-union and focus on elevating the profession of teaching and improving public education for every student.

Ed groups bat .785 on endorsements

The five education groups that endorsed or contributed to legislative candidates this election picked the winners at an overall rate of 78.5 percent

Politics makes changing bedfellows

The Colorado Education Association may be the 800-pound education group in state politics but other interest groups are weighing in

Union contributions mount up

Political committees affiliated with Colorado teachers’ unions have spent more than $900,000 so far in the 2010 election season.

NEA kicks off national tour in Denver

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel highlights Denver’s teacher-led school and a district-union partnership to overhaul teacher evaluation. Video

Fewer DPS teachers placed in poorest schools

Changes in Denver Public Schools’ teacher-placement policy mean fewer are assigned to the city’s highest-poverty and lowest-performing schools

Districts and unions settling earlier, for less

School districts and teachers unions across Colorado are settling contracts earlier this year as record budget cuts leave little to negotiate

Educator effectiveness bill becomes law

Before Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law an overhaul of Colorado’s teacher evaluation system, he reached out to educators who fought to kill it.Video.