I’m Denver7 education reporter Nicole Brady. Welcome to our new “education notebook,” where I will discuss the big education stories of the week and talk about the challenges and opportunities for education in Colorado.
It’s almost over! The pandemic school year is nearly behind us, with hopes high that the 2021-2022 school year will be much closer to normal. Denver Public Schoolslaid out plans this week and encouraged all eligible students to get vaccinated.
What we learned this week:
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week – and perhaps the most important year ever to appreciate our teachers! We spoke to Colorado Education Association President Amie Baca-Oehlert about the biggest challenges. One CEA survey found 40% of educators were considering leaving the profession after this year. Baca-Oehlert said workload is a major stressor, as well as low pay. You can watch our teacher appreciation special on the Denver7 streaming app.
DPS is announcing its superintendent finalists Friday, the final district to decide on it’s next leader after a year that saw 5 metro area superintendents depart.
We went 360 on the topic of summer school. Some districts are hoping a few weeks of summer learning will help students catch up and re-engage, but others feel kids need a mental break after a challenging year.
Click here for other education stories from this week
What I’m working on
The entire graduating class of 2021 should be proud of itself – and I’m excited that we will soon feature stories of graduates who overcome additional challenges this year.