Posted on November 21, 2012

Gates Foundation Awards $5.9 Million to Expand Colorado Education Reform Effort

The state of Colorado will use a $5.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its efforts to boost high school graduation rates and better prepare students for college and careers, KOAA.com in Colorado Springs reports.

To be administered through the Colorado Legacy Foundation's Integration Project, the grant will build on an education reform initiative led by the Colorado Department of Education that was launched last year. Comprising thirteen geographically and demographically representative school districts that serve as demonstration sites for statewide reforms, the program uses an integrated model of teaching and learning to significantly increase the number and percentage of students who graduate from high school ready for college or careers.

Among other things, the program works to accelerate the implementation of new teacher evaluation and support systems and the Colorado Academic Standards using instructional tools and supports aligned with those standards. Colorado is working with a cohort of states, including Kentucky and Louisiana, to share lessons learned with one another and local school districts.

"We are grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for recognizing the excellent work being done here in Colorado to improve student outcomes," said Colorado governor John Hickenlooper. "This funding will allow us to continue and expand the critical work of helping students advance through a meaningful education. It also helps us to grow a stronger, better-prepared workforce of the future."