Program makes tougher high school classes cool at 5 Colorado Springs-area schools

October 20, 2016

By Debbie Kelley, The Gazette | October 19, 2016

The Gazette

Advanced Placement courses are getting even cooler at five Pikes Peak region high schools. Atlas Preparatory School in Harrison District 2, Coronado and Doherty high schools in Colorado Springs District 11, Ellicott High School in Ellicott District 22, and Falcon High School in Falcon District 49 won Colorado Legacy Schools grants to beef up those harder classes and make them appealing to students. “It’s about learning at an advanced rate,” said Greg Hessee, a director at Colorado Legacy Schools, a program of the Colorado Education Initiative. It’s also about changing the perception about who belongs in the classes, he said. It’s not just the brainy kids, but also those who typically have not been top achievers, such as students of color and students from poorer families.

Read more