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At The Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), we think beyond clocks and school walls. We help create healthy schools. We work with teachers to deepen their skills and help them find new ways to reach students. We increase access to high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education and rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) courses to close the equity gap.
Consider 2015 Arvada High School graduate Alejandra Terrazas, a successful alumna of our Colorado Legacy Schools program. A child of immigrants who lived in fear of deportation, Alejandra didn’t think colleges were interested in students like her. She was hesitant to enroll in AP classes until a teacher convinced her she could handle the coursework. Not only did she succeed, she became a star student, graduated high school as valedictorian, and won a Gates Millennium Scholarship that will pay for four years of tuition at the University of Denver. Participating schools around the state are enrolling more students in AP courses than ever before — including students typically underrepresented like Alejandra.
There are educators like Chris Hinger, the principal at Pagosa Springs Middle School. Chris worked closely with CEI to incorporate health and wellness into every aspect of his school’s daily activities, and his school is now a statewide model for healthy schools.
In Colorado Springs, Palmer High School teacher Sean Wybrant created an exciting after-school program in computer science for girls, known as Tech Chic. Sean used the design thinking process that is part of our Next Generation Learning initiative to create the program.
In the Thompson School District in northern Colorado, secondary math teacher Kristina Smith discovered the power of students working in groups to solve problems — through Colorado’s version of the Math Design Collaborative (MDC). CEI is working with educators to customize MDC for Colorado, and Kristina is now training other teachers in MDC techniques.
At Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, math teacher Mattea Juengel brought engineers to talk with her students as part of CEI’s STEM Mentors program.
Our work is about changing schools and changing lives. CEI is committed to dramatically improving education in Colorado. We do all this with a single vision in mind: to ensure that every student is prepared and unafraid to succeed in school, work, and life, and ready to take on the challenges of today, tomorrow, and beyond. We rely on the generous support of foundations, corporations, and individuals who understand how vital this work is to Colorado’s future. We hope you enjoy this overview of our activity in 2014 and we look forward to talking with you soon.
The Colorado Education Initiative | info@coloradoedinitiative.org | 1660 Lincoln Street, Suite 2000 Denver, CO 80264 | (303) 736-6477
More than half of U.S. high school students who show potential to succeed in rigorous AP coursework never enroll. Yet, research shows that high school students who take AP classes are far more likely to go to and graduate from college. We’re helping AP teachers ensure all students succeed — even those who aren’t top achievers, who are learning English, or who are living in poverty. We work to dramatically increase student enrollment and success rates in AP math, science, and English at diverse schools across the state.
“Without the help of the Colorado Legacy Schools program, I truly believe we would be a ship without a rudder. The clear vision and support provided to my staff and school set the course on how we would pursue rigor as a faculty.”
Tharyn Mulberry, Principal | Centennial High School, Pueblo
More than 450 educators from 24 states and four countries attended the 2014 AP for All Summer Institute at Metropolitan State University of Denver. CEI hosted the institute in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative. CEI’s institute is one-of-a-kind. It’s the only College Board-certified training that focuses on helping educators reach students who usually don’t enroll in AP classes.
We know that children need to feel safe and secure at school. They need to be nourished and well rested. Healthy and engaging learning environments begin with giving kids what they need to succeed. CEI’s Health and Wellness initiative connects educators with promising practices to increase students’ overall physical and social-emotional wellness.
“Smart Source will give us useful, well-rounded information so we can improve our practices. After all, our job is to create healthy, productive citizens who can thrive in a globally competitive society.”
Chris Hinger, Principal | Pagosa Springs Middle School, Pagosa Springs
School districts and schools representing more than 200,000 students received grants and assistance from CEI to support behavioral health, social-emotional learning, and healthy school climates.
CEI served as the backbone organization for the Colorado Healthy Schools Collective Impact effort, which brought together more than 100 organizations to develop a common agenda for health and wellness in Colorado schools.
CEI launched in 2014 the Colorado Healthy Schools Smart Source tool with the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. This newly-developed tool helps more schools assess their school health policies and practices. It improves the quality of data and reduces the burden on schools thanks to a more streamlined approach. In 2014, 77 schools across the state participated in a pilot to test Smart Source.
Public schools are evolving to ensure today’s students are prepared to succeed after they graduate from high school. CEI’s Next Generation Learning initiative works with schools to provide students not only with a solid foundation in math, reading, and other academic subjects, but also the professional and entrepreneurial skills that are just as critical for success in the workforce and in life. These include skills like managing time, collaborating with others, taking risks, learning from failure, and making decisions that contribute to our community.
“We need to figure out from our kids what they need and want. We often make decisions that are removed from what kids want. I talked to girls who weren’t in my computer science classes to find out what they saw as barriers to getting involved.”
Sean Wybrant, Teacher | Palmer High School, Colorado Springs
CEI, the Colorado Department of Education, and three Colorado school districts are participating in a new initiative launched by Next Generation Learning Challenges. Adams County School District 50, Colorado Springs District 11, and Thompson School District each selected two schools to design next generation learning models that align with Colorado’s new graduation guidelines. These models emphasize educational equity, personalized learning, students progressing at their own pace, safe and healthy environments, and better use of time and technology in learning and teaching.
In 2014, CEI worked with seven schools and three districts as part of the TIME Collaborative, providing technical assistance and coaching to help those schools redesign the school day.
Research shows that the most important factors in children’s academic success during school hours are their teachers and principals. CEI’s Professional Learning initiative provides convenings, resources, and assistance to support effective instruction in the classroom. In 2014, the Professional Learning team worked with educators in more than 100 school districts across Colorado.
“One of the key pieces of our partnership with CEI has been the connection to different networks around the state. What that’s done is create authentic, meaningful relationships with other school districts that we now use for resource sharing and to adjust to all of the changes (in education).”
Curtis Garcia, Principal | Centennial High School, San Luis
CEI completed the three-year Colorado Integration Project — a collaborative effort led by 13 Colorado school districts with support from CEI and the Colorado Department of Education. The project provided support to educators to implement Colorado’s new academic standards, assessments, and educator effectiveness in an integrated way. It was designed to significantly improve the number and rate of Colorado students who graduate college- and career-ready.
Colorado has a higher share of STEM jobs than the national average, but Colorado employers are often forced to look out of the U.S. for talent. We must prepare Colorado learners for high-demand, high-wage STEM occupations. CEI’s STEM initiative is working to multiply the number of Colorado kids who are excited about STEM, especially girls, low-income students, and minorities.
“It’s so important for students to connect with professionals who work in careers that most teenagers could never conceive. The ability to see what engineering looks like, for example, and to envision themselves in a new environment is so much more powerful than you can imagine.”
Mattea Juengel, Math Teacher | Abraham Lincoln High School, Denver
CEI released the Colorado STEM Education Roadmap at the Colorado Innovation Network 2014 Summit. The STEM roadmap advances a public-private partnership to increase the number and diversity of Coloradans prepared for our STEM jobs. The effort, spearheaded by CEI, is working to define and carry out a state plan for improving STEM education to increase opportunities for all students, address employers’ needs, and attract new businesses to Colorado.
Organizational grants
Registrations and sponsorships
Contributions
Program registration fees
In-kind
Investment income
Other revenue
$ 13,747,198
242,780
326,684
135,040
13,255
5,879
17,524
$ 7,262,505
217,146
102,060
66,300
39,479
7,058
5,347
Program services and grants
Management and general
Fundraising
$ 9,935,306
938,411
261,329
11,135,046
$ 9,202,767
780,404
451,546
10,434,717
Change in net assets
Net assets, beginning of year
3,353,314
7,914,586
-2,734,822
10,649,408
Board Chair
Monica Skok
Strategy and Financial Consultant
Vice Chair
Matthew Smith
Vice President, Engineering
United Launch Alliance
Secretary
Katherine Peck
Senior Vice President for Programs
Gill Foundation
Treasurer
Christina Ortiz Bluth
Chief Financial Officer
SlimGenics
John Anderson
Community Leader
Elaine Gantz Berman
Managing Director
Edovate Capital
Hon. Joseph Garcia
Lieutenant Governor
State of Colorado
Tom Gart
President
Gart Companies
Robert Hammond, Ex. Officio
Commissioner
Colorado Department of Education
Karen LeFever, Ed.D.
Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Educational Services of America
Donna Lynne, Dr.PH.
Executive Vice President
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
Ryan O’Shaughnessy
Executive Vice President and CSO
Lario Oil & Gas Company
Dr. Stephen Shogan
Neurosurgeon
Colorado Neurosurgery Associates
Sandra Smyser, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Poudre Valley School District
George Sparks
President and CEO
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Leroy J. Williams
Vice President, Information Technology and Services
Ball Corporation
The Colorado Education Initiative | info@coloradoedinitiative.org | 1660 Lincoln Street, Suite 2000 Denver, CO 80264 | (303) 736-6477
