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 […]

2021 Legislative Review

Several significant bills passed this legislative session, strengthening opportunities to improve the lives of Colorado residents across the lifespan, from prenatal care to early childhood development to adult services. The Colorado Lab worked together with state and local government agencies, legislators, the Governor’s Office, research colleagues, and subject matter experts to inform this suite of […]

DPS and Colorado Judicial Branch Partner with LINC

We are pleased to welcome Denver Public Schools and the Colorado Judicial Branch (adult and juvenile state courts) as new partners to the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC). LINC was created through the Lab’s partnership with the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology to help state and local government agencies harness data to inform […]

Fostering Opportunities: Closing the High School Graduation Gap for Youth Who Experience Foster Care

Only one in four Colorado students who experience foster care during high school graduate with their class. Most interventions aimed at improving the graduation rates of youth who experience foster care are spearheaded by child welfare agencies or the judicial system with services typically ending when students exit the foster care system. Yet there is evidence […]

Concurrent Enrollment: A Pathway to Success

Throughout Colorado, more high school students than ever are taking college courses before graduation. The state supports this through a program called Concurrent Enrollment and a new report from the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab shows that it has the power to help students graduate from college and earn more in their early careers. Recognizing […]

Fostering Opportunities: Stories of Success

As the nation celebrates the class of 2020 and the resilience of graduates during a worldwide pandemic, it can be easy to forget that some students face huge challenges to high school graduation even in “normal” times. Living in foster care can make school feel like a perpetual marathon. In Jefferson County, a program called […]