Education

The Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges recently announced a $1 million investment from a health care industry leader to help diversify the workforce. The Kaiser Permanente Colorado Equity Scholarship Fund will provide financial assistance to students from underrepresented communities.

In recent years, some Colorado cities and colleges have publicly recognized the land they are on as the traditional and ancestral homelands of Indigenous nations and peoples. These are known as land acknowledgment statements. A new class at Colorado State University is using them to help examine the reconciliation work that still needs to be done.

The term "critical race theory" has made its way into public debates over education in the Mountain West, and how students should be taught about race and racism. But it's not clear that any K-12 schools in our region actually employ the decades-old academic framework.

Aerial drones were originally built for the military. But over the past decade, both consumer and commercial use has exploded. Drones are now being used to fight fires, take pictures, and even deliver packages. These unmanned aerial vehicles have also entered the arena of electronic sports.

President Biden has laid out his vision for the future of public education, which includes a nationwide community college tuition waiver for all Americans who want to take advantage.

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after University of Colorado Boulder faculty and students voted to censure Kennedy for his actions and comments surrounding diversity. The Boulder Faculty Assembly approved a motion that cited “failure of leadership with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

As the state moves into the next phase of the pandemic, Colorado's higher education leaders are looking to return to pre-pandemic levels of state funding.

Five years ago, the University of Northern Colorado launched an inclusive education program that prepares students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for careers and independent living while giving them a full college experience. The first class of graduates will make the leap from college to career this spring. The architects of the program hope to continue growing it and reach more students with disabilities, even as financial hurdles loom ahead.

A 2018 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 37% of Coloradans with cognitive disabilities were employed. But many have since lost their jobs due to COVID-19. To help this group find and keep jobs in the general workforce, the state is investing in inclusive higher education and workforce programs.

Racist "Zoom bombings" have attacked virtual meetings on college campuses in Wyoming and Utah this month.