Focus on Colorado: Publications 

Focus on Colorado highlights publications, documents, guides, and other printed and online materials published or provided by Colorado agencies, programs, and organizations.  Materials created by or in collaboration with Colorado's Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) programs are represented here, as well as resources published by ther agencies that serve Colorado's adults and families.  This is not a comprehensive source of documents.  It is intended to provide access to Colorado-specific materials of interest to adult education and family literacy programs and other providers with an interest in adult literacy and related issues. Titles of documents produced or commissioned by CDE's Adult Education and Family Literacy office (or its predecessors) are marked with the CDE logo ^cde. 

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ABE/ASE Learners | Adult Education | Disabilities | ESL/LEP/Immigrant | Health | Intergenerational/Family Literacy | Achievement Gap | Children & Families | Demographics | Economic Conditions | Education | Social Conditions 

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Adult Basic Education & Adult Secondary Education Learners

• Discoveries
  Each year, students in Boulder Public Library's BoulderReads! program are encouraged to submit an original story, poem, or article that they have written while enrolled. Those submissions are then combined with student photos and a short profile of each featured student and tutor into an annual Discoveries book.
• Webtasks for Adult Learners
  Online short projects (Webtasks) for adult learners developed by the Adult Education Program at Southwest BOCS in Cortez.

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Adult Education

• Adult and Family Literacy Activities in Colorado Public Libraries ^cde
  Based on responses to specific questions on the 2002 Public Library Annual Report compiled by Colorado Library Research Service.  See also the LitScan overview, Colorado's Public Libraries Offer Literacy Activities Despite Economic Difficulties (Nov. 21, 2003).
• Colorado Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) Program Directory ^cde
  Listing of Colorado's AEFLA-funded programs for 2004-05, including contact information.
• Colorado Adult Literacy Fact Book
  Published in 2001 by the Colorado Adult Education Professional Association.  Facts and figures about the literacy skills and education levels of Colorado adults and special populations.
• Colorado GED Study: How Colorado Graduates Benefit From Passing the GED Tests ^cde
  Results of a survey conducted in 1996 to measure the impact of passing the GED on the educational, employment, and financial status of GED graduates in Colorado.
• Family and Adult Literacy Indicators ^cde
  This report contains data from the 2000 United States Census about Population, English-Language Ability, Educational Attainment, Labor Force Participation, Poverty Status, and Public Assistance for the state of Colorado as whole, each county, and the six Congressional Districts that existed when the 2000 census was taken.  A previous version of this report, based on 1990 census data, was published in 1994 as Colorado Adult Literacy Concerns .
• Funding Resource Guide for Adult Literacy Programs in Colorado ^cde
  Historical document prepared for the Colorado Adult Literacy Commission by the Collaboration Task Force in 1994. 
• Learning Lasts a Lifetime: Report of the Colorado Commission on Adult Basic Learning ^cde
  Historical document published in 1997 following the Commission's 6 month study of the value of adult basic education in Colorado.  The Commission, appointed by Governor Romer, made recommendations for improving the ABE system and issued a call for action.
• Literacy Lifejacket
  Newsletter of the Southern Colorado Literacy Resource Center. 
   
• Literacy Posters
  8x11 printable color posters highlighting the importance of adult literacy:
  
  • Education and Training Pay for Coloradans
  • Average 8th Grade Reading Scores in Colorado
  • 8th Grade Proficient Writing Scores in Colorado
  • Coloradans' Likelihood of Living in Poverty
     
• LitScan: Facts and Figures from the Colorado Literacy Research Initiative ^cde
  A series of fact sheets reporting timely data and research findings regarding literacy.
• Portraits: Colorado Literacy and Adult Basic Skills Education ^cde
  Historical document published in 1996 that presents profiles of seven participants in Colorado adult basic skills education programs.
• Public Libraries and Adult Literacy
  A 2-page issue of Fast Facts from Colorado's Library Research Service on public library support of adult literacy activities, including a section on libraries in Colorado.
• Silent Crisis: Adult Illiteracy in Colorado ^cde
  Historical document published in 1991 as the final report of the Colorado Adult Literacy Commission. The Commission's charge was to assess and report on the status of illiteracy in Colorado and the degree to which literacy programs were meeting the need.
• So, What's New? ^cde
  The purpose of this newsletter is to share AEFLA-funded programs' successes--with other programs and across the state. 
  April 2008 | May 2008 | August 2008 | November 2008 | December 2008
 
• Tech Beat
  The Tech Beat newsletter provides information on integrating technology into instruction for Colorado adult educators. Tech Beat is published as a service of the Four Corners Virtual Resource Center (4CRC). 4CRC is a Colorado State Literacy Resource Center working to develop, provide, and encourage distance learning and instructional technology in the adult education community.

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Disability Information and Resources

• Charting a Course for the Future: a Transition Toolkit ^cde
  Designed for teachers, administrators and agency personnel to use as a resource to support effective transition planning for students receiving Special Education services and to provide guides, checklists and tools for use during that process.
• Colorado Resource Guide for People with Disabilities
  This guide explains Social Security disability programs, Medicare, and Colorado Medicaid.
• Community Resources for Youth With Disabilities
• Job-Hunting Guide for Colorado Citizens with Disabilities
  A guide to assist disabled Coloradans in seeking and finding employment, with information on ADA rights.
• Medicaid Resource Book
  Colorado Medicaid benefits and programs that support independence and employment for adults with disabilities. Prepared by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

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Education

• Colorado: State Resources
  Alliance for Excellent Education's Web page on Education in the States. 
• Diplomas Count Colorado: School to College
  EPE Research Center State Graduation Brief.  Explores growth of state-level P-16 councils; provides detailed data on high school graduation rates at the state level.
  Link to related content on the EdWeek Web site.
• Dropout Policies: Research-Based Strategies
  Donnell-Kay Foundation, Jan. 2007.
• Educational Level of Colorado's Workforce Projected to Decline
  National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, November 2005.
• From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education From Birth Through Adulthood (Colorado report)
  Quality Counts 2007 examines the state of state educational policymaking and begins to track state efforts to create a more seamless education system by looking at performance across the various sectors, and at state attempts to define students’ “readiness” to succeed from one stage to the next. The Chance-for-Success Index, developed for the report by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, provides a state-focused perspective on the importance of education throughout a person’s lifetime. The index is based on 13 indicators that highlight whether young children get off to a good start, succeed in elementary and secondary school, and hit crucial educational and economic benchmarks as adults.
• GED Testing in Colorado: 1993-2004 ^cde
  Graphs of recent statistics about GED test takers.
• The High Cost of Not Graduating High School
  This 2005 report from the Colorado Children's Campaign concludes that Coloradans lose more than $3.4 billion each year in potential earnings of high school dropouts.
• High School Policy in Colorado
  A 2004 report from the Colorado Children's Campaign comparing statewide policies and outcomes with those of other states.
• High School Reform in Colorado: Meeting the Expectations of a New Era
  Colorado Children's Campaign, 2005.
• Investing in the Next Generation: How Education Drives Colorado's Economic Future
  Public Education & Business Coalition, 2004.
• Policy Mapping: Colorado and "Tough Choices or Tough Times"
  Prepared by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates on behalf of the Piton Foundation and the Donnell-Kay Foundation, August 2007.
  Compares the recommendations proposed in Tough Choices or Tough Times (National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE)) to Colorado’s current education statutes.  Intended as a reference for policy-makers.
  See also: Video-Tough Choices or Tough Times: Presentation for the Commission on Adult Literacy
  A talk by Marc S. Tucker, President of the National Center for Education and the Economy summarizing highlights of Tough Choices or Tough Times, July 2007 (17 min.)
• Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates: 1991-2002
  Report from the Center for Civic Innovation that discusses graduation rates of the states in an attempt to measure how many students are really graduating from America's high schools.  

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English as a Second Language, Limited English Proficient, and Immigrant Learners

• EL/Civics Activity Packet ^cde
  A Colorado EL/Civics State Leadership Project developed in 2002 by Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, Denver. The Activity Packet provides activities, resources, and assessments for incorporating two EL/Civics competencies into life skill and English literacy instruction at four levels. This link will take you to the EL/Civics Activity Packet web page from which the updated version of the Activity Packet can be downloaded.
• ¡Enterese!: una Guía de Supervivencia para los Recién Llegados a Colorado
  Basic information for Spanish speakers about community resources and services.  
• Navigating the American School System ^cde
  A Colorado EL/Civics State Leadership Project developed in 2002 by Harrison Adult and Family Literacy, Harrison School District Two, Colorado Springs.  NASS includes a student workbook and teacher's guide and can be adapted for use in any school.  The purpose of NASS is to provide English literacy instruction to LEP parents within the context of their child's school system. This link will take you to the EL/Civics Web page from which NASS can be downloaded.
• The New Coloradans
  High School Curriculum | Middle School Curriculum
  These two curricula were developed for The Piton Foundation by the Center for Education in Law and Democracy to help Colorado students understand the complexity of the state and national immigration issue. The DVD of "The New Coloradans," a 30-minute documentary produced by Rocky Mountain PBS can be ordered by calling 303.825.6246.

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Health Information

• Colorado Guide to Free and Low Cost Health Care for Pregnant Women and Children
  Information for uninsured families, health care providers, and social services workers on the health care options that are available for low-income pregnant women and children. Produced by the Piton Foundation, 5th edition, 2000.

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Intergenerational and Family Literacy

• Asegurando el Éxito Académico de Nuestros Hijos 
  The Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition highlights the differences and similarities between schools in Mexico and Colorado, and provides suggestions to Mexican immigrant parents on how to become more involved in their children's education.
• Breaking Down Barriers, Creating Space: a Guidebook for Increasing Collaboration Between Schools and the Parents of English Language Learners ^cde
  This document is intended to be a resource and a guide to educators who serve English Language Learners (ELL) and their parents in Colorado.
• Colorado Family Literacy Act of 2002
  This legislation established the Colorado Family Literacy Education Grant Program in order to support the educational development of adults and children through family and intergenerational literacy.
• e-Reader
  A web-based service from Aurora Public Library for young children. Children ages 3 and up can log onto the page from home or in the library to choose a picture book site to read, view, or listen to books. Books are available in English, Spanish, French, and other languages. There are four programs to choose from: Tumblebooks (for which the child at home will need an Aurora library card), the International Children's Digital Library, the Story Place, and Story Line.
• Engaging Mexican Immigrant Parents in Their Children's Education  
  The Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition provides this publication to help teachers understand how to recognize the strengths that Mexican immigrant families have to offer and how to engage parents in the classroom to help improve the academic achievement of their children.
• Ensuring the Academic Success of Our Children  
  The Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition provides this publication about the education system at the school, district, state and federal levels; parental rights and responsibilities; parent expectations; effective parent engagement in schools and how parents can support their children's learning at home.
  
• Even Start
  This link will take you to the Colorado Even Start Family Literacy Program Web site, from which Colorado Even Start Annual Program Reports, Even Start Updates, and other Even Start documents can be downloaded.
• Families Learning Together in Colorado ^cde
  Historical document published in 1994.  The introduction states that this report includes an introduction to family literacy including its history and research base, a review of successful practices, results of evaluations, and current issues and challenges facing the field today. Also included is information on family literacy programs and funding resources available in Colorado at the time.
• Family Learning Survey ^cde
  Historical document published in 1995.  Results of a survey of ABE and Even Start programs.
• Family Literacy: Getting Started ^cde
  Historical document published in 1995.  Addresses the need for and effectiveness of family literacy, each component of family literacy, models and evaluation.  Includes steps to starting a family literacy program.
• Family Literacy in Adult Education: the Federal and State Support Role
  Tony Peyton, NCFL for National Commission on Adult Literacy, Sept. 7, 2007.  The benefits of and federal support for family literacy programs; examples of state family literacy initiatives, including Colorado.
• Family Literacy Program Model ^cde
  Revised in 2005; this model provides a research-based description of a family literacy program including essential components, activities, and budget.
• Intergenerational Literacy Notebook ^cde
  The Intergenerational Literacy Notebook is a collection of thematically based activities for adults and their children to complete together. A majority of these activities are designed for English language learners and are life skills based. Science and social studies activities primarily target the ABE / GED learner.
• Resolution in Support of the Colorado Family Literacy Education Fund
  Resolution of the Colorado State Board of Education, adopted October 3, 2002.
• Sustainability Guidebook: Colorado Family Literacy Programs
  Written for program administrators in Colorado's public, nonprofit, and private sectors, the Sustainability Guidebook offers an introduction to family literacy, strategic planning, and collaboration.
• Resolution in Support of the Colorado Family Literacy Education Fund
  Resolution of the Colorado State Board of Education, adopted October 3, 2002.

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Workplace/Workforce

• Colorado Occupational Employment Outlook, 2002-2012
  Labor market projections from Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
• Colorado State Plan for 2007-2009    
  State Workforce Investment Act Strategic Plan developed by Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment and the Colorado Workforce Development Council.
• Developing a Statewide Workforce Readiness Credential in Colorado: a Preliminary Assessment
  Report to the Colorado Workforce Development Council, 2005.
• e-Colorado
  Colorado's workforce development clearinghouse of resources for education, employment, and business! Launched in 2004 with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, e-Colorado was developed by and for Colorado workforce professionals, employers, job seekers, students, and other public and private sector workforce development partners
• Formula for Success
  Colorado's annual WIA report (program year 2006) from the Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment and the Colorado Workforce Development Council.
• From Stakeholders to Partners: Organizing Community Partnerships for Workforce Development
  This Workforce Innovation Networks Issue Brief published in 2000 discusses collaborative leadership in workforce development including a focus on Colorado's efforts.
• What is a Colorado Workforce Center?
  Brochure from the Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment about the employment-related services provided to Coloradans through Workforce Centers.
• Workplace Literacy Series ^cde
  In 1995-96, the CDE Office of Adult Education produced a series of workplace literacy guides to help adult basic skills programs plan, implement, and deliver workplace education services. 
   
  • Conducting the Job Task Analysis
  • Developing Workplace Education Curriculum
  • Evaluating Workplace Education Program Effectiveness
  • Identifying Critical Job Tasks
  • Marketing Workplace Education to Business
  • Understanding Organizational Culture
  • Workplace Education Advisory Councils
  • Workplace Education Overview
  • Workplace Education Skills Assessment

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Related Issues

• Achievement Gap
  

 

• The Achievement Gap: Colorado's Biggest Education Problem
  Colorado Children's Campaign, 2006.  Compares Colorado's achievement gap against those in other states.
• The Achievement Gap State Summary for Colorado
  NAEP performance data from the Education Watch database, 2001.
• Key Education Facts and Figures
  Individual state reports on educational performance and opportunity, including achievement gap analysis, provided by Education Watch Online.  EdWatch is a service of The Education Trust, an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to make schools and colleges work for all of the young people they serve. This link will take you to the Colorado State Summary of achievement, attainment, and opportunity from elementary school through college, Winter 2002-03.
• Understanding Colorado's Achievement Gap
  Bell Policy Center, August 2005

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• Children and Families
  

 

• Child Care in Colorado: the Early Education of Our Children
  A report on the availability, quality, and economic issues of child care and early childhood education.
• Colorado's Children 2005
  Fact sheet from the Child Welfare League of America.
• Cooperative Planning Handbook for Youth With Developmental Disabilities
  Colorado Dept. of Education and Dept. of Human Services, 2004.
• Kids Count in Colorado 2007
  State and county data on indicators of well-being from the Colorado Children's Campaign.
• KidsCount Snapshots 2005
  State and county data from the 2005 KidsCount database.
• Kids Count State Level Data
  State data on indicators of child welfare.
• Parenting From Prison: a Resource Guide for Parents Incarcerated in Colorado
  Edited by Barbara S. Bosley, Christie Donner, Carolyn McLean and Ellen Toomey-Hale. Parenting from Prison Guide Committee, 2002.
• Profile for Colorado: Kids Count 2004 
  State indicators of well-being for counties and school districts.
• Recent Changes in Colorado Welfare and Work, Child Care and Child Welfare Systems
  Profile and discussion of the State's social safety net including TANF, Colorado Works, and child welfare by the Urban Institute, 2001.
• School Readiness Indicators Project, Colorado Indicators
  Colorado-specific data on 62 indicators chosen by the Colorado School Readiness Indicators Project Task Force.
• Start Here: a Resource Guide
  Colorado Dept. of Human Services, 2003.
  An overview of services available through the developmental disabilities system in Colorado. 

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• Demographics

 

• Colorado Economic and Demographic Information System (CEDIS)
• Demographics of Immigration in Metro Denver and Colorado, 2001
  In anticipation of Denver Pubic Library's International Resource Center, this report presents demographics describing metro Denver's immigrant and multilingual populations.
• Immigrant Integration in Colorado  
  (Colorado Trust, 2004)  Outlines what is needed to help immigrants integrate into their new communities, and provides cross-cutting strategies for advancing immigrant integration.
• Neighborhood Facts: a Data Book on the Status of Denver Neighborhoods from Census 2000
  (Piton Foundation, 2004)  Presents demographic and economic data for Denver's 76 populated neighborhoods pertaining to eight indicators: population, race and ethnicity, immigration, households and families, education, jobs and wages, poverty, and housing.
• Special Tabulation of LEP Information From Census 2000-Colorado
  The Department of Labor has sponsored a special tabulation of Census data on Limited English proficient (LEP) populations as a resource for One Stop Career Centers and other providers of employment and training services. Information is broken out for 39 Census languages and language clusters, and the tabulations are designed to match the service areas of states and local Workforce Investment Areas.
• The State of Working Immigrants in Colorado
  Prepared by Suzette Tucker-Welch, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, March 2004. 

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• Economic Conditions and Indicators, Poverty, Self-Sufficiency

 

• Childhood Poverty in Colorado
  Colorado Children's Campaign, 2008.
• Colorado Poverty and Income Statistics, 2006
  U.S. Census Bureau data on overall, family, and child poverty, as well as median household income.
• Demographics of Low Income Children in Colorado
  National Center for Children in Poverty.
• Demographics of Poor Children in Colorado
  National Center for Children in Poverty.
• Economic Self-Sufficiency is Out of Reach for Many Working Single Parent Families in Colorado
  Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, October 2005.
• Federal Poverty Thresholds 2006
  Fact Sheet, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, Feb. 2006.
• Opportunity Lost: When Hard Work Isn't Enough for Colorado's Families
  This report from the Bell Policy Center is part of the Working Poor Families Project. It draws on a database of some 230 indicators that provides a comprehensive picture of who these families are and why they can't make ends meet. The publication also includes a statewide report card that ranks Colorado's performance in areas that impact the working poor. 
• Opportunity Lost One Year Update
  June 2005 update of the Bell Policy Center's 2004 report.
• Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Colorado
  Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute. May 2007.  Colorado's first demographic study of the number of families that live below the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado. Comparing Census data to the Self Sufficiency Standard for Colorado, this report takes a detailed look at how many families work hard, but don't earn enough to meet their basic needs, where these families live, what they look like, their occupations, levels of education and work efforts. 
  There is also an Executive Summary
• Poverty Despite Work in Colorado
  Report on the working poor from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, 2001.
• Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2008: a Family Needs Budget
  The Self-Sufficiency Standard measures how much income is needed for a family of a certain composition in a given place to adequately meet their basic needs–without public or private assistance. This report explains the origin of the Standard; how it differs from the official Federal Poverty Level; how it is calculated; what an adequate income is for Colorado families; and how various public work supports, public policies, child support, and other resources can help families move toward self-sufficiency. The report concludes with a discussion of the varied ways the Self-Sufficiency Standard can be used as a tool for policy analysis, counseling, performance evaluation, and research.
• Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado Fact Sheet, April 2005
• Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado FAQ
• The State of Working Colorado 2007
  This report from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute provides a comprehensive study of the status of working Coloradans. It draws from a wide variety of data sources to examine income and income inequality, wages, jobs, hardship and poverty in Colorado.

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• Social Conditions and Indicators, Well-Being, Quality of Life
   
  • Colorado Index: Population, Economy, Environment, Community: Understanding and Tracking Quality of Life
    The Colorado Index is a pilot project of the Colorado Center for Healthy Communities. The index looks at indicators of trends that affect the quality of life and community development in Colorado.
  • Colorado, the State of Opportunity Report
    Significant health, educational and economic barriers stand in the way of many Colorado families, according to this updated report issued by the Bell Policy Center in 2005. The Bell highlights a series of indicators that track the Cycle of Opportunity through many stages of life and across generations. These indicators focus both on the opportunity to succeed economically and to participate in the civic life of the community.
  • Colorado, the State of Opportunity Report,  Executive Summary
  • Colorado, the State of Opportunity Budget Report
    In this follow-up to the 2002 State of Opportunity Report, the Bell tracks funding of key programs that correspond to the eight opportunity gateways outlined in the original report: A Healthy Birth, A Safe and Stimulating Childhood, Building a Solid Base for Literacy, Establishing a Healthy Lifestyle in Childhood and Adolescence, Leaving High School with a Diploma and the Skills to Succeed, Access to Education and Training for Adults, A Health Adult Life, and Earning a Decent Living and Building Wealth. The report includes short-term funding recommendations for FY 02-03, as well as long-term funding and development recommendations.
  • Homelessness in Colorado Fact Sheet
    Fact sheet based on research by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
  • The State of Colorado's Racial and Ethnic Minorities
    Documents a broad set of indicators of the relative social, economic, and political status and well-being of racial and ethnic minorities.  Prepared by the Department of Political Science at University of Denver, March 2002.

For additional information or technical assistance,
contact Debra Fawcett at: 303.866.6914; fawcett_d@cde.state.co.us