education

One of the races in the 2014 Republican primary election is for the Colorado Board of Education seat in the 3rd Congressional District. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with candidates Barbara Ann Smith and Marcia Neal about what they think the biggest challenges to education in Colorado are, and how they plan to address them.

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A group of students from Southwest Open School in Cortez recently spent the night at the Bridge Emergency Shelter as part of an event to bring awareness to the plight of homeless people who spend their nights there. KSJD's Jeff Pope talks with SWOS students Caite Lake and Nick Martinez and their teacher Sam Carter about why they decided to participate in this event, and what they learned from their experience.

Being confronted with choices that could affect their entire lives can be a transformative experience for middle school students. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Peggy Tennyson from the School Community Youth Collaborative and Mikkel Waltman, a senior at Montezuma-Cortez High School about the Teen Maze, an interactive event showcasing possible outcomes of risky behaviors for local youth.

Education funding in Colorado remains below the national average, and local school districts continue to struggle with state funding mandates that pull money away from education budgets. KSJD's Jeff Pope talks with citizen activist Jim Law about what is happening with Amendment 23, a poorly understood law that recently caused local school districts to return money from their budgets to the state.

Southwest Open School is a place for experiential learning, where students actively participate in their own education. In the winter of 2014, the Radio Class chose to focus on challenges facing Montezuma County, including teenage substance abuse, homelessness, generational poverty, and a higher than average theft rate. Tasked with recording transformative radio pieces, the students set out into the community to find real voices. The stories they recorded are real, gritty, and ultimately, their own.

Museum On The Ground is a program that brought 4th grade students to Lowry Pueblo to learn about the site from research professionals and Native Americans. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Kathy Stemmler, Director of Education at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, and Victoria Atkins, Lead Interpretive Specialist at the Anasazi Heritage Center, about the Museum On The Ground program and a new exhibit featuring art and photos from the students depicting their experiences in the program.

The Mancos School District has had success recently in keeping graduation rates and academic scores above the state average. KSJD's Jeff Pope talks with Mancos Schools Superintendent Brian Hanson about their successes in the classroom, and challenges that the district faces as they look into the future. 

The Dolores School District continues to see success in their classrooms while construction of new facilities at the schools promises to create an even better learning environment for their students. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Dolores Schools Superintendent Scott Cooper about the latest initiatives the district is focusing on, school funding, and an update on their school building construction project.

The Positive Youth Advocates are a group of Cortez Middle School students who work to help their community and school. KSJD's Jeff Pope talks with Cortez Middle School counselor Carrie Schneider-LeMay and Mali Brunk and Megan Harmon, 7th graders at Cortez Middle School, about how their involvement as Positive Youth Advocates helps them develop leadership and communication skills, and their latest project to help people with leukemia and lymphoma.

The Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District has formulated an improvement plan to address performance problems recently highlighted by the Colorado accreditation scores. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with RE-1 Superintendent Alex Carter about the plan for improvement in the district, and what it means for students, parents, and the community.