EDUCATION

Our Perspective

Excellent schools and an educated citizenry are important economic drivers for our State. A quality education system is critical to the success of Colorado's children and ultimately to the success of the entire State. Education is a key element in our ability to attract and retain businesses, and achieve a healthy, happy lifestyle for our citizens. In addition to the benefits to the State, members of the Colorado Forum believe that providing every student with access to a high-performing school and the opportunity for an excellent learning experience is imperative. Upon graduation, Colorado high school students must be prepared to enter the workforce, engage in apprenticeship opportunities, or pursue higher education at a reasonable cost.

Advocating for funding for education in Colorado has been a significant priority for the Forum, but has been complicated by the State's limited ability to raise new revenue to support our schools. With the small amount of new revenue available, we have advanced reforms to achieve strong education outcomes for Colorado's students. We view the achievement gap in our State as a significant issue and have advocated for English Language Learner (ELL) and Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs to narrow this gap. We believe that high standards, including the Colorado Academic Standards and aligned assessments, are critical to improving educational outcomes and ensuring that students are ready for the work force.

Our Work

We are committed to a robust early childhood program to ensure that Colorado's children are ready to be successful in kindergarten and beyond. Our goal is to begin early childhood education at birth with parents and their helpers as first teachers. We supported the 2014 ballot initiative to extend the Denver Preschool Program, a program the Forum helped to establish in 2006.  We continue to actively support Colorado school choice and charter schools.

Over the past three years, since 2023, the Forum has also partnered with three Colorado school districts to pilot innovative, community-driven solutions to persistent challenges. In Mesa County Valley School District 51, we supported the development and implementation of a cellphone policy that has since gained national attention and continues to serve as a model for districts across the country. In District 70, we helped lead the creation of the district’s first strategic plan in over 20 years, conducting extensive community outreach using the Building a Better Colorado model to ensure stakeholder-driven priorities. In Genoa-Hugo School District, we partnered with district leadership to address teacher workforce shortages by supporting the acquisition and renovation of teacher housing, helping to fill critical staffing gaps and strengthen long-term retention.