VOLUME 61 | ISSUE 22
WEEK OF JANUARY 2, 2025
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GLOBAL TREK COMES TO A CLOSE
Ted Eliason began his bike trek around the world in 2019. Now, after 51,164 miles and 1,379 days, he’s back home. P14
Colorado’s school wish list for 2025 Boosts to reading, reduced truancy on Board of Educations New Year agenda BY MELANIE ASMAR CHALKBEAT
Slashing chronic absenteeism rates, boosting third grade reading scores, and ensuring high school graduates earn college credit or work experience alongside their diplomas are among the Colorado Department of Education’s new strategic goals. The department has set five “wildly important goals” it aims to achieve over the next several years. Other state agencies, including the Colorado Department of Early Childhood Education, are setting similar goals. Together, they represent some of the state’s biggest public policy priorities. Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said her department’s goals are meant to address some of the 880,000-student system’s thorniest challenges. “Schools continue to face pandemic-related challenges including poor attendance, teacher shortages, and learning loss,” she told the Colorado State Board of Education last month. Here’s a look at three of the department’s goals and the state’s progress toward meeting them. Reduce chronic absenteeism
Goal: Cut chronic absenteeism to 15% of K-12 students by the 2027-28 school year. Progress: In the 2023-24 school year, 27.7% of students were chronically absent. A student is considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the school days in a school year, or approximately 18 days. Chronic absenteeism is a problem because students who miss a lot of school can fall behind academically and find it hard to catch up. SEE WISH LIST, P6
VOICES: PAGE 8 | CULTURE: PAGE 10 | BRIEFS: PAGE 16
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