A survey of school superintendents across Colorado at the end of 2020 showed a high level of concern about the loss of student reading and math skills due to the pandemic, as well as negative impacts on the mental health of both students and teachers. National data confirm these worries; a McKinsey study shows the […]
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Call for External Research Partners
THIS OPPORTUNITY IS CLOSED. The Colorado Lab is looking for external researcher partners to support us in executing our deliverable-based projects with state and local partners and promoting knowledge-building through peer-reviewed publication and other scholarly dissemination. Tell us your interests. We want to ensure that we are cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships with the research community. […]
Building an Evidence Base for Family First Prevention Services
The Family First Prevention Services Act incentivizes state systems and local agencies to move intentionally toward child welfare approaches that prioritize keeping kids safe and families together. This legislation authorizes federal reimbursement to states for the delivery of evidence-based services aimed at preventing the need for foster care. Eligibility for these federal funds requires ensuring […]
Strategy to Build Knowledge in Colorado’s New Department of Early Childhood
The Colorado legislature passed a monumental bill during the 2021 session that approved the launch of a brand new state Department of Early Childhood in the Executive Branch. This makes Colorado one of a handful of states that has an entire agency dedicated to early childhood policies and programs. The development of this new agency […]
RISE: Innovating Improved Student & Family Outcomes in the Wake of COVID-19
Bennett 29J, Strasburg 31J, and Weld RE-3J School Districtst As the 2020 school year wound down, the Children’s Hospital of Colorado declared a state of emergency for youth mental health. Atop already high needs, the impacts of COVID-19 were devastating, resulting in a 90% increase in demand for behavioral health treatment and the emergence of […]
School Counselor Corps Grant Program Evaluation
Nationally, COVID-19 has highlighted the instability of relying on a small number of school counselors to guide hundreds of students through changing academic hurdles, prepare them for an uncertain future, and triage increasing mental health challenges. Colorado has one of the lower students-per-counselor ratios nationally—with 295 students per counselor in the 2019-20 school year—in part […]
Colorado Lab in the News: AP’s Equity Face-Plant
In an interview featured in the latest edition of Washington Monthly, Kristin Klopfenstein, Colorado Lab director and a nationally recognized expert on Advanced Placement (AP), notes that “AP was designed in the 1950s to be a program for precocious high schoolers who were very privileged. AP is serving exactly who it’s designed to serve, which […]
Colorado Home Visiting Investment Plan
Benefits of Home Visitation Home visiting services are a crucial element of the support system available in Colorado to families with young children. Evidence shows home visitation provides multiple, sustained benefits for children, caregivers and families: Colorado’s Home Visiting Investment Task Force was formed by the Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC) and charged with developing […]
Washington Monthly: AP’s Equity Face-Plant
In an interview featured in the latest edition of Washington Monthly, Kristin Klopfenstein, Colorado Lab director and a nationally recognized expert on Advanced Placement (AP), notes that “AP was designed in the 1950s to be a program for precocious high schoolers who were very privileged. AP is serving exactly who it’s designed to serve, which […]
Cost Analysis: Colorado Community Response Program
Connecting families with concrete resources that meet basic needs and support economic well-being can lower stress and help parents to create long-term stability for their family. The Colorado Community Response (CCR) program is using this approach to reduce incidents of child neglect and abuse. Administered by the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) in the Colorado […]