~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Education Policy Center Newsletter From The Independence Institute December 20, 2012 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue

-- Financing Student Success Panel Packs Capitol Committee Room -- Radio Segments Cover Innovation, Common Core, System Transformation -- Teachers Unions Offer Reminders of Misplaced Priorities -- Eddie Highlights Rocky Mtn. Prep Blended Learning, Other School Visits Financing Student Success Panel Packs Capitol Committee Room More than 85 people showed up at a Capitol committee room on December 6 to advance the discussion about how Colorado can embrace and implement backpack funding in future K12 policy changes. Financing Student Success was co-sponsored by the Independence Institute and several partner organizations, and included our own Ben DeGrow as a panelist alongside Senators Michael Johnston and Keith King, and Vinny Badolato from the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Check out our site to learn more about the event

or to watch the 90-minute video.

More from Ed Is Watching:

Colorado K-12 Funding Debates REALLY Could Use Some Accepted Facts
Radio Segments Cover Innovation, Common Core, System Transformation Ben also continues his weekly 30-minute appearances guest-hosting K-12 topics on the AM 1310 KFKAs Amy Oliver Show. During the past month, he interviewed a Falcon school board member about the districts bold innovation plans, a national expert on Common Core, and the founder of a new grassroots group to empower parents and transform the K-12 system. His comments on a new extended learning time initiative also were featured in a nationally-syndicated radio broadcast. More from Ed Is Watching:

I Dont Have Time to Tell You Why Longer School Days Arent Enough
Teachers Unions Offer Reminders of Misplaced Priorities While the CEAs annual member political refund opportunity may have passed, but several late-year reminders of misplaced teacher union priorities once again have emerged. Cases in point: State and national union leaders have resisted supporting needed entitlement reforms, local tax-subsidized union officials helped protest difficult pay cut decisions, and Michigan unions abandoned classrooms to oppose workplace freedom. Eddie Highlights Rocky Mtn. Prep Blended Learning, Other School Visits As the year 2012 winds down, our blogging prodigy Eddie got three opportunities to write about recent Education Policy Center school visits: to the high-flying Liberty Common High School, the exceptional Ridgeview Classical Academy, and to the innovative new

blended learning program at Denvers Rocky Mountain Prep. As usual, he kept you updated on some other key local and national developments:

Growing Support for Dougco Pay-for-Performance Suggests Staying Power Not Louisiana, Too! Judge Striking Down Vouchers Bad Start to Weekend Colorado School Grades Website Returns to Inform Parents for Second Year Ed Reform Super Bowl Would Have Been Nice, But Florida Gets Tony Bennett
Thanks for your interest in our work. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2013!!! Pamela Benigno, Director Ben DeGrow, Senior Policy Analyst Marya DeGrow, Research Associate Raaki Garcia-Ulam, Hispanic Education Coordinator Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: pam@i2i.org phone: 303-279-6536 web: http://www.education.i2i.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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