Our Work
CEI cultivates systems improvement and equity in K-12 education.
We work with schools and districts throughout Colorado and collaborate with with state and national partners to ensure Colorado fully maximizes opportunity for breakthrough change. Over the next two years, CEI is interested to bring about state and local changes that support Colorado communities to rethink accountability and school quality measures, and increase student access to relevant pathways that support equitable development of skills and competencies essential for college and career readiness.
Happening Now
Secondary Policy and High School Redesign
Our vision is for Colorado high schools to design and implement personalized learning environments that attend to each and every student’s social and emotional needs and offer relevant and rigorous experiences to prepare them for postsecondary learning, work, and life. CEI also aims for Colorado districts to leverage this work on behalf of broader system transformation, using high school redesign as the fulcrum for improvement in other schools systemwide. In addition to technical assistance and coaching in support of multiple RISE Education Fund grantees, current programs underway include:
- Homegrown Talent Initiative
- Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot Program
- Jumpstart Concurrent Enrollment
Social Emotional Development
To improve mental health, well-being, and resiliency for adolescents in Colorado, CEI partners with districts and schools to strengthen the ability of educators and schools to provide a culture and climate that meets students’ social, emotional, and academic needs. In addition to social emotional development consulting supports, current programs underway include:
- Nod Mobile App for High School Students
- Social Emotional Redesign Network (SERN)
- Thriving Schools Resilience in School Environments (RISE)
- Youth Connections
Rethinking Accountability and School Quality Measures
Across a wide range of schools and districts, Colorado’s teachers and leaders are developing measures and systems closely attuned to their students and communities. This mirrors a national conversation: there’s been a great deal of broad interest over the last few years in a variety of accountability indicators, measures, processes, and tools that focus on continuous improvement. The sense is that that public policy can, and should, support accountability system innovation. This reimagining of education accountability is one of the central tenets of CEI’s work.
Rural Superintendent Academy
CEI believes exceptional leadership is critical to the long-term success of rural communities. We launched the Rural Superintendent Academy (RSA) in partnership with George Welsh, a 24-year veteran superintendent with extensive experience in rural settings, and the Boettcher Foundation to advance the superintendent role in rural districts to include skilled technical systems expertise, leadership in economic and talent development, and an engaging, inclusive mindset. The inaugural 2021 RSA cohort includes superintendents and principals from an array of outlying school districts in Colorado. This group of educators is engaging in focused convenings and field visits to establish a cohesive, relationship-based, professional network through which key leadership competencies are coached, experienced, and mastered.