This guidebook was written to provide Colorado schools and districts with research-based information and best practices to support the ongoing development of their visual and performing arts programs. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has worked to develop instructional resources for arts education that reflect the cultural diversity and interests of both urban and rural communities.
This document was created for small school systems to provide guidelines and recommendations for creating and updating Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs). Staff members in small systems often have questions about how to effectively plan with limited access to state required data metrics or, in some cases, how to write a plan when numbers are too small to be reported publicly. This document provides background information on the flexibility offered to small districts and offers considerations and recommendations for commonly asked questions regarding improvement planning in small systems.
Many people do not realize how common it is for children to suffer a brain injury. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among children ages 1 to 19 years in the United States. Each year, approximately 40 percent of TBIs in the United States occur in the pediatric population (ages 0-19 years). It is estimated that nearly 145,000 children aged 0-19 years are currently living with long lasting, significant alterations in social, behavioral, physical and cognitive functioning following a TBI. significant discrepancy between the incidence of TBI and the identification of children with TBI for special education services continues to exist.
Exposure to abuse, discrimination, violence, neglect, and other adverse experiences during childhood significantly increase the risk of serious health, social, emotional, and learning problems throughout life. These traumatic events can disrupt brain, social, and emotional development. This disruption impacts a student's opportunity for academic success. School systems must reconsider how they support children that have been exposed to trauma and the resultant activation of the brain's stress response in order to fully support every student's opportunity for emotional social wellness, academic achievement, and preparation for post-secondary success.
