Colorado Rural Schools Caucus, a partner ally with ABE, visited with Congressman David Skaggs, the new executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and some of his staff this past week.  Part of the conversation focused on the need for stakeholders to be included in discussions.  Skaggs stated he was surprised at the way CCHE has chosen to involve itself in K-12 education in the past few years because he is aware that not enough discussion had taken place prior to the implementation of the new higher education admission requirements. 

Skaggs is willing to look at proposals which offer flexibility in the entrance requirements and agrees that Phase II implementation needs to be postponed until data is collected to prove the effectiveness of the Phase I requirements, saying "that just makes good sense."   While he has not yet spoken to the commissioners about the idea, he continued by saying he will "be surprised if the Phase II HEAR are not postponed." 

ABE, in cooperation with the presidents of the Colorado Arts Educators Association, the Colorado Association for Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance, the Colorado Dance Alliance, the Alliance for Colorado Theatre, and the Colorado Association for Music Curriculum and Instruction have contacted over 200 elected and appointed policy makers in the state of Colorado, urging them to support a balanced education which includes the arts and humanities.

Governor Ritter, every Colorado legislator, David Skaggs and all commissioners of the Colorado Commission for Higher Education, all 4-year university and college presidents and members of the institution's governing board, as well as the governance of the community college system in Colorado have been contacted by ABE with a personal letter, a copy of the ABE white paper and a copy or the brochure "Critical Evidence" 
 

About ABE:  We are a Colorado non-profit organization concerned about the narrowing of the curriculum and the marginalization of arts and humanities as a result of high-stakes testing, snapshot accountability, and higher education requirements placing de facto mandates upon K-12 public education.

    
Fifteen leaders from education, public service and business form the board of Advocates for a Balanced Education and share a desire to offer students-become-adults the balanced education which will provide them with the necessary skills  for economic self-sufficiency and participation in a self-governing society.

    
For that purpose, our goal is to assist  educational policy makers at all levels of state and local government, as well as the citizenry of communities in supporting the inclusion of the arts and humanities as an essential part of Colorado’s K-12 public education system.