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Category: Education
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Compared to nearby states, Colorado is falling behind when it comes to winning new jobs that increase earnings, according to a new report, “Toward a More Competitive Colorado,” by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. The report isn’t all doom and gloom, however. It’s meant to nudge forward a state that aspires to have it all.
Consider: Colorado is the leanest state in the nation (an indicator of health), high school students rank number one in SAT/ACT scores, and just one other state boasts more college degrees. But investments made in the late 1980s have run their course, and Colorado could enter an era of complacency if officials aren’t careful, notes The Denver Post. Among the challenges are low funding levels for higher education (Colorado is 47th nationally) and sagging high school graduation rates (Colorado is 29th).
Moreover, personal income is showing signs of slipping, falling from eighth in the nation to 13th in recent years.
“There is a soft underbelly in the Colorado economy,” Metro Denver EDC Vice President Tom Clark tells the Denver Business Journal. “After five years, over 60 percent of our measures have either not changed or gone in the wrong direction.” (more…)
Posted at 1:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Economy, Education, Panorama, Politics :: Permalink :: Comments
Monday, November 16, 2009
 First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Denver today with an entourage of A-list celebrities and officials for a whirlwind tour meant to highlight the need for mentoring in young women’s lives.
You might recognize a few of the mentors, such as actresses Susan Sarandon and Traci Ellis Ross, or Colorado’s first lady, Jeannie Ritter, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (via Politico).
Denver was chosen for the visit because of its diverse population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 34.4 percent of Denver is Hispanic, 10.1 percent is African-American, and 3.4 percent is Asian-American.
“Mentors can have an enormously positive impact in the lives of young people,” Congresswoman Betsy Markey, a participant from northern Colorado, tells the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “The first lady’s mentoring initiative is a powerful step in the right direction for our schools and our communities, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Obama will visit with women leaders at a luncheon at the governor’s mansion today. In the afternoon, the women will fan out to different schools to discuss their careers and speak with students. Obama plans to visit South High School, where 30 students were selected by teachers for their leadership skills to enjoy a private audience with the first lady, according to 9News, which is planning to host a live Webcast of the luncheon event at noon.
Posted at 10:00 am by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, People, Politics :: Permalink :: Comments
Friday, November 6, 2009
A recent study out of the University of Colorado-Denver has some depressing news: Exercise doesn’t necessarily lead to weight loss. The New York Times notes that the study does show, however, something that most fitness and nutrition experts have espoused for quite some time: Consistent exercise combined with a lower calorie intake can lead to weight loss.
Perhaps the most interesting nugget to come out of the study is that working out at a lower intensity could be more effective in burning fat, as long as you don’t replace all of those calories afterward.
Edward Melanson, Ph.D, the lead author of the study, tells the Times that people “are only burning 200 or 300 calories” in a typical 30-minute exercise session and that “you replace that with one bottle of Gatorade.” So be careful loading up on sports drinks and other calories after a workout.
The news isn’t all bad, though. Consistent exercise has many other tangible benefits, including increasing aerobic capacity, decreasing blood pressure and resting heart rates, and a better state of mind. It also helps people lose weight by increasing the likelihood that you’ll stick to a strict reduction in calorie intake. So you should still work out, of course, but consuming fewer calories overall is better than pushing for hours on the machines.
Posted at 9:09 am by AJ Vicens
Education, Health and Environment, Panorama, Sports & Fitness :: Permalink :: Comments
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
 Things are looking worse for the University of Colorado football program, especially after Saturday’s 36-17 loss to Missouri. Most of the blame has been laid at the feet of head coach Dan Hawkins, who definitely knows how to talk a good game. Westword declares, “the Hawkins experiment has failed.”
The Denver Post reports CU athletic director Mike Bohn (pictured) isn’t too concerned that many fans think he should be out looking for a new job—along with Hawkins. Apparently, he’s too busy raising money and trying to attract new fans. That’ll be hard, considering the football team is 2-6 and looks as inept as ever.
The combined records of the 2008 and 2009 football teams, along with last season’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, is 27-53, including 7-37 in conference play.
In the academic year ending June 2008, the Post notes, Colorado’s athletic department generated $52.63 million in revenues, putting the school at seventh in the Big 12. While it might seem like a lot of money, it’s a far cry from the minimum $74.7 million the six schools ahead of CU pulled in. (The University of Texas led the way with $120.29 million.)
So next time you think CU’s poor athletic performance means little more than crabby CU fans, think about the money.
Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com.
Posted at 12:15 pm by AJ Vicens
Education, Money, Panorama, Sports & Fitness :: Permalink :: Comments
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Vance Fulkerson, the former University of Northern Colorado drama professor accused of secretly videotaping students as they used his bathroom, was expected to plead guilty in Weld County yesterday as part of an agreement to avoid a trial. But Fulkerson’s defense attorney, Alexander Garlin, has requested a hearing delay until January 4, 2010.
“We do not have a disposition at this time,” Garlin tells The Denver Post. “We have had discussions with the DA and we will respond to the DA in the very near future.”
Fulkerson, who ran the musical theater department for almost two decades, has been formally charged with nine counts of misdemeanor sexual contact/peeping Tom, five felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one felony count of sexual exploitation of children with possession of more than 20 images. He’s also facing a petty charge for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.
Meanwhile, UNC acted appropriately over the many years it received complaints about Fulkerson’s behavior, according to Mountain States Employers Council investigators (via 9News).
“It appears earlier complaints about Professor Fulkerson were investigated and addressed by the School of Theatre Arts and Dance leadership (TAD) and that several of the TAD deans were not hesitant to take action,” reads the investigators’ report, which was released Monday. The report claims there was a perception that administrators took no action because administrators failed to inform those who complained of a resolution.
Posted at 11:15 am by Michael de Yoanna
Crime, Education, Panorama, People :: Permalink :: Comments
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A study by University of Colorado researchers finds that people who are at high risk for diabetes, such as those who are obese, can significantly reduce the chance they’ll develop the disease if they are aggressive about weight loss, including exercising five days a week and consuming less fat. The results, published in The Lancet medical journal, are considered highly important in helping doctors and patients develop the right strategies to fight the disease.
CU researchers find the impact of weight loss and exercise, which can cut risk of diabetes by 34 percent (50 percent for people older than 60), is more profound than the most common prescription drug (18 percent), notes The Denver Post. Moreover, the study reveals that the effects of a healthy diet and exercise can have an impact that lasts not just months or years, but a decade.
“If people would just do it, it would work,” says Dr. Richard Hamman, the study’s vice chair. “The problem is, it’s not that easy to do.”
Posted at 1:15 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Health and Environment, Panorama, Science and Technology :: Permalink :: Comments
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
 Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 vote yesterday that a group of plaintiffs have the right to challenge whether the state government is providing enough funding for schools—and providing it in an equitable way.
The case, Labato v. Colorado, which alleges that the state’s current plans violate a constitutional requirement that funding be “thorough and uniform,” can now go to trial, reports Law Week Colorado, which notes that if the lawsuit is successful, the state could be held liable for an additional $2.9 billion a year for public schools.
Attorney General John Suthers, who represented the state in the case, says the ruling does not bode well for taxpayers, writes The Denver Post.
Meanwhile, state Representative Jack Pommer (pictured), a Boulder Democrat and member of the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, doesn’t seem too thrilled either: “In terms of education, this might ultimately force the state to provide a thorough education to every student. Of course, we can’t afford that.”
The Lobato case began in 2005, the start of a long, winding legal battle, notes INDenverTimes.
Posted at 12:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, Politics, Rights :: Permalink :: Comments
Monday, October 19, 2009
 These days, many high school students don’t go to the bookstore to find guides on college rankings or buy a roll of stamps to send out their college applications.
From selecting prospective schools to requesting their transcripts and sending in typed essays and applications, students go through most of the process online, rarely touching pen to paper—if at all, according to Boulder’s Daily Camera.
“If you had to have them fill it out with paper and pencil, many would have a hard time doing that. They are so used to doing stuff online that it’s second nature to them,” says Boulder High School counselor Andrew Tucker. “Every college has a Facebook page, and they are tweeting like crazy. Things are changing dramatically.”
Even counselors are going electronic at Web sites such as Naviance.com. Still, the business of college admissions in some places isn’t as straight-forward as some would hope. Odious influences remain, allowing some students entry thanks to family ties, wealth, or political connections, as The Atlantic notes.
And despite the electronic revolution, some books about college are still worth buying, writes The New York Times, including “Admission Matters,” by Sally P. Springer, Jon Reider, and Marion R. Franck. It’s a good read for the overwhelmed or underprepared student and aims to cut down the hype surrounding the process, while emphasizing finding the right fit.
Posted at 3:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, Science and Technology :: Permalink :: Comments
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Offices everywhere are stretched thin. The same amount of work is being undertaken by fewer employees, raises—if existent—aren’t what they used to be, and fears of the layoff ax are rampant. It doesn’t help that some bosses perpetuate the nightmare by bullying their employees. And the worst offenders, it turns out, are bosses who feel inadequate.
According to new research from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Southern California, there is a “direct link” between “self-perceived incompetence and aggression” by supervisors, writes the Denver Business Journal.
“Incompetence alone doesn’t lead to aggression,” says Serena Chen, a UC-Berkeley psychology professor and one of the study’s authors. “It’s the combination of having a high-power role and fearing that one is not up to the task that causes power holders to lash out.”
The survey also identified resentment among the minions: 57 percent of workers “believe employers are exploiting the recession to drive longer hours and lower pay from their workforces” (via The Boston Globe). The survey suggests some employees will try to find new jobs as soon as the economic recovery really takes hold. (more…)
Posted at 3:15 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Business, Economy, Education, Panorama :: Permalink :: Comments (5)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
 It turns out that former Governor Bill Owens, a conservative Republican, isn’t the only one with a soft spot for kids who work hard in school but have trouble getting into college because their parents emigrated illegally.
Now, state Representative Joe Miklosi, a Denver Democrat, wants to offer those kids in Colorado a guarantee: If they work hard in school, they will receive the same in-state tuition as their peers. It’s neither a new, nor a radical, idea, he tells The Denver Post: A majority of states allow it.
“We’re talking Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas,” Miklosi says. “These are states where the Republican business leaders go to the [state] senate president and speaker of the [state] house and say, ‘We need a more educated workforce. Can you please pass this bill?’”
Next year, Miklosi will introduce the “Workforce Development and Unsubsidized Tuition Act,” which he says has bipartisan support among community leaders. Earlier this year, Miklosi’s bill to allow in-state tuition for kids who attended a Colorado high school for three years was killed, as many such efforts have been in the past, including at the national level.
Colorado House Minority Leader Mike May, a Parker Republican, predicted next year’s measure will die, too. “We’ve got enough budget trouble without this,” May says. “I know they make claims it doesn’t cost any extra, but it does.”
Posted at 1:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Immigration, Panorama, People, Politics, Rights :: Permalink :: Comments
Thursday, October 15, 2009
According to the “Nation’s Report Card,” 84 percent of Colorado fourth-graders and 76 percent of eighth-graders edged out their peers in math, performing at or above the National Assessment of Educational Progress standard. Nationally, 81 percent of fourth-grade students and 71 percent of eighth-grade students performed at the NAEP Basic Level, notes The Denver Post.
While Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones is pleased with the results, he adds “at the same time, the focus on improving math instruction, especially at the elementary level, must continue.” Jones cites two partnerships that help kids improve as part of that focus.
Nationally, the “trend is flat,” Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a research organization in Washington, tells The New York Times: “That means that eight years after enactment of No Child Left Behind, the problems it set out to solve are not being solved, and now we’re five years from the deadline and we’re still far, far from the goal.”
Meanwhile, Poudre School District in Fort Collins, consistently one of the highest-scoring in the state and highly desirable for teachers, is studying proposed closures and consolidations, writes the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
Posted at 10:00 am by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama :: Permalink :: Comments
Friday, October 9, 2009
 A few weeks ago, scientists from India announced that a satellite had detected water molecules on the Moon’s surface, a fact that was on the minds of NASA scientists early this morning as the U.S. space agency intentionally crashed a probe onto a giant lunar crater.
The hope was that the resulting explosion would kick up enough dust to allow sensors to detect just how much water might be hidden within the dust of what was once considered a giant, gray-desert orb (via The Associated Press).
All morning NASA has been abuzz, streaming live video of the crash from its Web site. You can bet that Jack Burns, a professor of astrophysics and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado and chairman of the science committee on NASA’s advisory council, was among the first to see footage of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite as the probe blew up.
“This is absolutely a game-changing event as far as the moon is concerned,” Burns (pictured) recently told 9News. “Because if there’s water on the moon, it changes the perspective of what we would be able to do in terms of setting a permanent outpost on the moon.”
That’s what Korea’s Chosun Ilbo notes, too, reporting, however, that finding water is only the first step toward such a future.
Posted at 10:43 am by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, People, Science and Technology :: Permalink :: Comments
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Greg Schroll used to dream he could bend a soccer ball like David Beckham. But it wasn’t his skills that could send the ball curving away; it was the soccer ball itself. Of course, cat toys can accomplish the same thing, but while he was at MIT, Schroll devised a more sophisticated, spherical botball (my word, not his, for the robotic invention) with special gizmos inside that allow it do to what other moving spheres cannot: climb upwards.
“Most people have a disclaimer saying their spherical robot can’t climb steep inclines or stairs. My goal was to overcome that limitation,” he tells Popular Mechanics magazine, which has dubbed the 23-year-old Colorado State University grad student one of the Top 10 Innovators of 2009 for accomplishing the task, keeping northern Colorado at the forefront of robotic invention.
Ideas of how exactly to apply the technology are at this point a bit hazy. The botball could one day be used in space exploration or search-and-rescue operations—or even by the military, where some generals dream of robot battalions.
“There’s so much more to do, almost an infinite number of things I could do with it,” he tells 9News.
One thing is clear, though: Beckham, aka. “Goldenballs,” is aging, but while he is somewhat marginalized by his English national team, the soccer star still seems a few years away from needing a botball to stay competitive.
Posted at 1:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, People, Science and Technology :: Permalink :: Comments (2)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Vance Fulkerson—the performing arts professor at the University of Northern Colorado who now faces six felony counts of sexual exploitation and nine misdemeanor, “peeping Tom” charges after students found a video camera in his bathroom—has resigned.
Fulkerson had been on paid leave from the college pending the outcome of an internal investigation, but an agreement with UNC President Kay Norton has set the stage for Fulkerson’s retirement, according to The Greeley Tribune. In the agreement, the university stipulates that Fulkerson will receive his pay through today and health insurance through October 31, as well as his retirement benefits as his plan provides.
Police say Fulkerson, who faces up to 12 years behind bars on each felony charge alone, filmed male students, some living with him as renters, as they showered or used the toilet. He is due in court on November 2, reports 9News.
Posted at 10:16 am by Michael de Yoanna
Crime, Education, Panorama, People, Rights :: Permalink :: Comments
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
 Since 2005, CollegeInvest, the agency that runs Colorado’s college scholarship program, has awarded just 235 of 565 service scholarships for students who volunteer in the community.
And only 11 nursing teachers had their loans forgiven, according to a state audit cited by The Associated Press, which reports that CollegeInvest incurred more than $12 million in administrative expenses above and beyond the salaries and benefits it pays for its 37 employees.
The agency is also accused of conflicts of interest and giving expensive gifts to financial advisers. In one case, the agency awarded $80 golf clubs to financial advisers in exchange for their e-mail addresses.
“I sense that the board is not really doing its job in monitoring how well this program is working,” claims state Senator Dave Schultheis, a Colorado Springs Republican and member of the Legislative Audit Committee.
Adds committee chairwoman, state Representative Diane Primavera (pictured), a Broomfield Democrat, “It seems like more money has been put into running the organization than getting kids in school.”
Debra DeMuth, director of the CollegeInvest Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Programs, defends the agency, saying it wants to reduce regulations and help get more students into programs. State lawmakers have ordered monthly reports on CollegeInvest’s activities.
Posted at 11:45 am by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Ethics, Panorama, Politics :: Permalink :: Comments (1)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
 In a new book, political journalist Helen Thorpe writes that former Colorado Governor Bill Owens, a conservative Republican, was sympathetic toward Jesus Apodaca, a young honors student who made headlines when he was refused in-state tuition at the University of Colorado at Denver because his parents had brought him to the United States illegally.
Thorpe, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s wife, writes in “Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America” that despite former Congressman Tom Tancredo’s efforts to have Apodaca and his family deported, Owens (pictured) instead quietly helped arrange for one of his biggest political donors to “adopt responsibility” for Apodaca’s tuition.
Owens confirms the account for The Denver Post, but declines further comment or to disclose the name of the Republican businessman who helped Apodaca in 2002. Back then, Owens’ initial reaction to Tancredo was to say that immigration laws had to be “respected and enforced.” But within weeks, Owens says he backed a measure by former U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, which sought to legalize Apodaca’s immigration status (Campbell later withdrew it).
For more on Thorpe, pick up the October edition of 5280 to read Natasha Gardner’s “The Two Lives of Helen Thorpe.” On sale tomorrow.
Posted at 12:30 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Panorama, People, Politics, Rights :: Permalink :: Comments (1)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thank researchers at the University of Colorado the next time you get in the shower and wonder if you are bombarding your face with bacteria so nefarious it can find its way into your lungs. A team of microbiologists headed by CU’s Norman Pace discovered a fine microbe similar to the one that causes tuberculosis, called Mycobacterium avium, in fine droplets that people actually inhale during their showers, according to The New York Times.
Scientists tested about 50 shower heads in nine cities in seven states, including Denver, discovering 30 percent emitted high levels of Mycobacterium avium. Don’t get too freaked out. The scientists haven’t stopped showering because of their findings (and you shouldn’t either).
“For the average person, it’s not a huge concern,” researcher Laura Baumgartner tells The Denver Post. “I take showers every day, and I’m not at all worried.”
But if you want to be more certain you won’t get the shallow cough, fever, fatigue, and weight loss associated with the bacteria, which lives in the grunge of your shower head, try an all-metal fixture. The best are those with filters that can be changed weekly, Baumgartner says. And don’t stand in front of the shower when the first blast of water comes out. That water is the most likely to be infested with miniature lung-eating sludge monsters.
Posted at 12:00 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Education, Health and Environment, Panorama :: Permalink :: Comments
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Governor Bill Ritter highlighted a detailed plan yesterday to cut another $286 million from Colorado’s cash-strapped budget, including reductions to higher education and Medicaid providers, coming in the wake of the $1.8 billion budget shortfall the state has faced in the past year.
The freezing weather seemed to chill both Columbus Day participants and protesters on Saturday.