Archive for 2008

Bringing some humor to the serious issue of school resources, “Granny”, played by Denver actress Amie MacKenzie, made her appearance on the Great Education Action website, the GEC blog, and in our newsletters. In the videos, Granny learned about the dismal state of school funding in Colorado from conversations with her grandson. From old textbooks, to ancient technology, to fundraising hell, the Granny files highlighted resource issues identified in the 2008 Quality Counts report. (Now those statistics are a year old and the more recent stats are even worse).
Granny’s appearances …

You don’t have to be a tennis pro, heck, you don’t have to play tennis at all to come out and have fun!

There was a ton of great food and drink: beer, wine, and soda. Live music by bands and choirs, even some people playing croquet. So why not make your reservation today for the 2009 Great Education Colorado Tennis Open?

Well, we had a great turn out in 2008 for the Tennis Open. Here are some of the highlights in photos and captioned descriptions.

The Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Act will replace and repair crumbing schools throughout Colorado, providing tens of thousands of children in Colorado with schools that are safe, healthy and educationally enriching. BEST marks the most significant investment in Colorado school construction since statehood. Great Education Colorado is proud to have been part of the genesis of this important legislation, having organized (along with Children’s Voices) the school tours that inspired the Speaker to work with Treasurer Kennedy and others to develop this plan.

Click to Play
Video Background: “Cupcakes/Class Size”
The Facts Behind the Video

Fact: Colorado Spends $1034 less per pupil than the national average.

Source: Education Week, Quality Counts 2008, Finance Data

Per-pupil spending adjusted for regional cost differences, based on National Center for Educational Statistics data.

Fact: Colorado ranks 38th nationally in student-teacher ratios.

Source: Education Week, Quality Counts 2008: Teacher Quality (Page 6)

Based on U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data, 2005-06.