The Colorado Small Schools Initiative recognizes the importance of research, data, evaluation and analysis in measuring a school's progress through the reform process and beyond. CSSI regularly commissions research on the high schools we work with, and supports publications that focus on relevant educational issues for Colorado's students.
All of the documents below are presented in portable document format (PDF).
- Answering the Call: A Report on Colorado's High School Dropouts and Best Practices for Improving Educational Outcomes, December 1, 2010
- School Wellness in Colorado: Findings from a Survey of Large School Districts, September 2010
- Student Enrollment Count Mechanisms for School Funding: A Survey of State Policies, August 2010
- Advancing the "Colorado Graduates" Agenda: Understanding the Dropout Problem and Mobilizing to Meet the Graduation Challenge, October 2009
Executive Summary
- "Girls Tend to Stop Going; Boys Get Told Not to Come Back" A Report on Gender and the Dropout Problem in Colorado Schools, October 2009
- School Dropouts in Rural Colorado School Districts, October 2009
- Denver's Public Schools: Reforms, Challenges, and the Future, June 2009
- Food for Thought, Health for Success: Pursuing Policy that Supports Student Wellness and Achievement, February 2009
- Alternative Compensation: Exploring Teacher Pay Reform in Colorado. September 2008
Understanding Mill Levy Stabilization in Colorado
A report by the Colorado Children's Campaign and the Center for Education Policy Analysis, April 2007.Creating a Zone of Innovation in Denver
A report of the Piton Foundation, the Stapleton Foundation and the Colorado Children's Campaign, March 2006.Colorado Children's Campaign, March 2006
Colorado's Graduation Rate: The Real Story
The Colorado Children's Campaign, March 2006.The complete set of white papers commissioned by the Colorado Children's Campaign for the Colorado Commission for High School Improvement. January 2006.
November 2004. Prepared by Spud Van de Water.
October, 2004. Prepared by Spud Van de Water
October, 2004. Prepared for the CCHSI Committee on Data and Reporting by Dixie Griffin Good
The final report of the Colorado Commission for High School Improvement makes recommendations to move the state forward.
Donnell-Kay Foundation, in partnership with the Colorado Children’s Campaign, Piton Foundation and the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the University of Colorado at Denver says that Colorado ranks low or average on most academic performance indicators and unsatisfactory in addressing the academic achievement gap among minorities, according to the “State Accountability Report.”
Colorado Children's Campaign, Kaye Boeke, November 2005.
October 2005, Andrew Brodsky
Colorado Children's Campaign and the Piton Foundation, July 2005
Colorado Children's Campaign, July 2005
Colorado Children's Campaign, April 2005
Colorado Children's Campaign, April 2005
Colorado Commission for High School Improvement and the Colorado Children's Campaign, January 2005
Colorado Children's Campaign, October 2004
Colorado Children's Campaign, August 2004
Research on STEM Education, Educational Reform and Small Schools
Innovation and Improvement in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, December 2007 A snapshot of the scope and progress of STEM initiatives in the nine front range counties.
The Metro Denver WIRED Region: School District and Student Characteristics and STEM Performance, February 2008 An overview of the nine front-range counties.
The author, Alex Medler, argues that previously existing policies, at both the state and local level, affect how and whether districts comply with NCLB.
The report, authored by Judy Bray, states that the majority of Colorado students are not prepared for success. It calls for the state to focus on policy change to increase outcomes and create a better system of learning.
The author, Alex Medler, and CSSI explore Denver charter schools within the larger contexts of the Colorado and the national charter movements.
Gary Lichtenstein and CSSI examine high school education in Colorado and discover an ailing system based on student attrition and achievement.
Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College, authored this report on The High Schools Conversions Conference, held in Denver and hosted by CSSI, in February 2003; many educational reformers from around the country participated--this report highlights the issues and questions that developed from this meeting.
Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College, shares his point of view on school reform, which is broadly applicable to schools attempting to alter their routines and structures.
Research on Manual Educational Complex: Leadership High School; Millennium Quest High School; and, Arts & Cultural Studies High School
April 2005
Three Years Down the Road (English Version) : Small School Reform at the Manual Educational Complex, August 2004 By Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College
Three Years Down the Road (Spanish Executive Summary) : Small School Reform at the Manual Educational Complex, August 2004 By Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College
Year Two Implementation of Small Schools at Manual Educational Complex, Steven M. Ross, Ph.D., Elizabeth Goldfeder, Ph.D., Center for Research in Educational Policy, The University of Memphis
Two Years into Small School Reform: The Manual Educational Complex at a Crossroad--a qualitative study, Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College
From Big-To-Small: A Qualitative Study of The Manual Educational Complex Experience, Patrick J. McQuillan, Ed.D., Boston College
Year One Implementation of Small Schools at Manual Educational Complex, Steven M. Ross, Ph.D., Elizabeth Goldfeder, Ph.D., The University of Memphis
