The Colorado Education Initiative

The Colorado Education Initiative Your Partners in Possibility Igniting the Power of Public Education

05/29/2026

Ten days. Ten districts. Today's final spotlight.

Day 10: Mesa County Valley School District 51

School Leader Evaluation is this district's greatest increase โ€“ and the numbers tell the story directly:
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ”% say the district clearly describes expectations for school leaders (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’)
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ•% of school leaders rate the evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ— ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ and +๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž), including ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ”% who say their effectiveness is accurately assessed through the evaluation process (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’)
โ–ช๏ธDistrict Support has grown from ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ% ๐ญ๐จ ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ’% over four years (+๐Ÿ‘ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)

A jump of 19 points in how school leaders experience evaluation reflects real change in how the district and its principals are working together โ€“ built on clearer expectations, more useful feedback, and growing trust. This is the foundation improved performance is built on.

CEI knows the power of great leadership and strong systems to create thriving students, schools, and communities. Under Dr. Hill's leadership, D51 has demonstrated what an aligned school and district leadership team can accomplish.

Proud to partner with Mesa County Valley School District 51.

Ten of many reasons we believe in Colorado public education.

Colorado Department of Education Dr. Brian Hill

05/28/2026

As we near the end of our 10-day celebration, today's spotlight is on a district delivering results that are hard to sustain at any scale, let alone this one.

Day 9 spotlight: St. Vrain Valley School District

Among school leaders:
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’% rate the evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ‘% feel supported by their district (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% say district leadership provides timely support when priorities change

Trust, clarity, and consistency โ€“ district-wide. Results like these reflect years of deliberate work to build a system where leaders at every level feel equipped to lead well.

Proud to partner with St. Vrain Valley School District.

Colorado Department of Education, Jackie Kapushion, Ed.D.

05/27/2026

Eight days in, and the theme is clear: the best school communities don't just support their people โ€“ they empower them.

Day 8 spotlight: Weld County School District RE-1

This year's TLCC results show a staff with real voice, agency, and ownership in their schools:
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’% report a strong professional climate (+๐Ÿ• ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ— ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ% rate staff leadership favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ% rate the staff evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ— ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)

All three categories climbing together. Educators here aren't just showing up โ€“ they're contributing, leading, and shaping the direction of their schools.

These data highlight the impact of a focused and committed new leader โ€“ the difference Superintendent Kimberly Bloemen has made in just 20 months

Proud to partner with Weld County RE-1.

Colorado Department of Education

05/26/2026

We're spending 10 days celebrating what's real in Colorado public education โ€“ including the districts doing the sustained work of getting better every year.

Day 7 spotlight: Durango School District

The TLCC survey captures whether educators have the conditions and growth opportunities to teach well.

Durango's story this year is about investment in teachers:
โ–ช๏ธ Professional development is the district's greatest increase โ€“ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’, including ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ”% of staff who feel their employer invests in their career, ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฒ
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ% of instructional staff report having the resources, autonomy, and conditions to teach effectively (+๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’, +๐Ÿ” ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’% of staff report having leadership opportunities at their school (+๐Ÿ• ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’)

Progress that shows up across multiple categories, moving in the same direction, tells a more reliable story than any single number. Durango is moving, and it's no accident. The district's Portrait of a Graduate gives educators a shared, future-focused vision for student outcomes that anchors how they teach and work together. When a staff coalesces around something like that, the data follows.

Proud to partner with Durango School District.

# TeachersofColorado Colorado Department of Education

05/25/2026

Six days in, and we keep finding the same thing: when district leadership genuinely shows up for its people, it shows up in the data.

Day 6 spotlight: Delta County School District 50J

The TLCC survey captures whether staff feel supported, satisfied in their roles, and working in an environment that starts at the top.

Delta's school leaders are unambiguous about their district:
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ”% rate district support favorably (+๐Ÿ• ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% say the district provides principals with the support they need (+๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’)
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% say district leadership takes steps to solve problems and provides timely support

That culture extends outward. Job satisfaction across all staff sits at ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ“% โ€“ ๐Ÿ• ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž. Support for staff wellbeing at ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’%. This isn't a one-year result; it's a pattern built over multiple years of consistent leadership.

Proud to partner with Delta County School District 50(J).

Congratulations to longtime Superintendent Caryn Gibson on her retirement and welcome to incoming Superintendent Amber Clark! You are inheriting something special.

Colorado Department of Education

05/22/2026

As we close out the 25-26 school year, we're celebrating what's possible in Colorado public education โ€“ one district at a time.

Day 5 spotlight: West Grand School District 1-JT

The Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) survey asks educators whether they're receiving the professional learning and support they need to grow and do their best work.

West Grandโ€™s investment in their educators shows up clearly in the numbers.

Among instructional staff:
๐Ÿ—๐ŸŽ% rate professional development favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ• ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ• ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ% rate the staff evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ– ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ‘% report strong instructional support and conditions (+๐Ÿ– ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)

A +17 lead on professional development in a small rural district isn't a given, it's a choice. West Grand makes it consistently.

Proud to partner with West Grand School District.

Colorado Department of Education

05/21/2026

Ten days. Ten districts. Ten reasons we believe in Colorado public education.

Day 4 spotlight: Canon City Schools Fremont RE-1

The TLCC survey measures the conditions educators experience every day โ€“ from how they're evaluated to whether they have the support they need to do their best work.

Caรฑon City's results this year are a study in breadth. Not one category spiking while others lag โ€“ nearly every category above state average and trending upward at the same time.

Among school leaders and all staff:
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% of school leaders rate the evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ• ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ•% feel supported by the district (+๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ’% rate the staff evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ +๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)

Professional development at ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ“% โ€“ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ and ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž. Support for staff wellbeing at ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ“%. The pattern holds everywhere you look.

In the journey from good to great, Caรฑon City is proof that great isn't a plateau โ€” it's a starting point. The courageous leadership of Superintendent Adam Hartman and the Caรฑon City School Board shows what's possible when strong governance and community support keep pushing forward.

Proud to partner with Caรฑon City Schools.

Colorado Department of Education

05/20/2026

As we close out the 25-26 school year, we're spending 10 days shining a light on what's working in Colorado public education โ€“ because a lot is.

Day 3 spotlight: Weld RE-5J School District (Johnstown-Milliken).

The TLCC survey captures how educators experience the conditions in their schools, including whether they feel supported and trusted by district leadership.

Two years ago, Weld RE-5J's school leader evaluation results were ๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ%. This year: ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ–% โ€“ ๐š ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ”-๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž, and the district's greatest area of growth.

Additionally, among school leaders:
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ”% feel supported by their district (+24 since 2024 and +15 above state), with unanimous favorable responses on principal support, involvement in decisions, and problem-solving
โ–ช๏ธ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% report trust and mutual respect between district and school administrators

A district that listens to its educators โ€“ and responds โ€“ looks like this.

Proud to partner with Weld RE-5J.

Colorado Department of Education

05/19/2026

As we close out the 25-26 school year, we're taking 10 days to spotlight something we believe deeply: great things are happening in Colorado public education. You might not always see it in the headlines, but we see it every day.

Day 2 spotlight: North Park School District

The Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) survey asks educators at every level โ€“ teachers, support staff, and school leaders โ€“ to rate the conditions in their schools and districts.

North Park is one of a handful of districts in Colorado that came in above the state average on nearly every TLCC category this year.

This year, every staff member responded favorably on three categories:

๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% report a strong professional climate (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž)
๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% feel supported in their own wellbeing (+๐Ÿ– ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)
๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% rate staff leadership favorably (+๐Ÿ๐Ÿ— ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž)

Additionally, professional development ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ‘% this year โ€“ a ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ–-๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ and ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ– ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž โ€“ while meeting diverse student needs increased to ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ–% โ€“ a ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“-๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’.

When every person in a building says they feel trusted, respected, and part of something that works, that's not a data point. That's a community. North Park has built one.

As Superintendent Amy Ward closes out her tenure at North Park, we want to take a moment to recognize her retirement. The results above reflect the kind of culture that dedicated district leaders build over time โ€“ and that legacy doesn't show up overnight. Our team at CEI is grateful for the partnership.

Proud to partner with North Park R-1.

Colorado Department of Education

05/18/2026

As we close out the 25-26 school year, we're taking 10 days to celebrate something we believe deeply: ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. You might not always see it in the headlines, but we see it every day.

Day 1 spotlight: Alamosa School District

The Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) survey asks educators at every level โ€” teachers, support staff, and school leaders โ€” to rate the conditions in their schools and districts.

This year, Alamosa's results stopped us in our tracks.

Among school leaders:
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿต๐Ÿด% feel supported by their district (+๐Ÿญ๐Ÿณ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ)
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฎ% rate their evaluation process favorably (+๐Ÿต ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ)
โ–ช๏ธ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฌ% are confident in their ability to recruit and retain staff (+๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ)

And across all staff โ€” teachers and support professionals included โ€” ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฒ% report having enough time to do their work well. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ and up from 64% in 2020.

This isn't a one-year spike, it reflects six-years of steady, system-wide growth โ€” built through consistent leadership and sustained partnership.

Proud to partner with Alamosa. This is what thriving looks like.

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