Education

Congressman Jared Polis introduced H.R. 1450, known as "The Student Anti-Discrimination Act", in January, two months before anyone outside of Fulton, Miss. knew the name Constance McMillen. But McMillen's story, that of an 18-year-old lesbian who wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom and the school district that canceled the prom for the entire school, has gotten national attention -- and, Polis said, highlighted anew the need for his bill, which would extend civil rights protections to student... Read more

Constance McMillen didn't believe her Mississippi school district would really call off her senior prom rather than allow her to show up with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. On Thursday, a day after the Itawamba County school board did just that, the 18-year-old lesbian high school senior reluctantly returned to campus to some unfriendly looks, she said. "Somebody said, 'Thanks for ruining my senior year.'" McMillen said. The district announced Wednesday it wouldn't host the April 2 prom. The ... Read more

JACKSON, Miss. -- High school senior Constance McMillen knows the rule: no same-sex dates at the senior prom. But the 18-year-old lesbian student is challenging the Itawamba County school district policy, saying she is worried she'll end up missing the last major social occasion of her school years. "The way I look at it is that if I can't go and be who I am, then I don't want to go. It kind of feels like they're asking me to be straight for the prom," McMillen said. She has enlisted the help of... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) issued the following statement today in response to the state of Colorado being named a 2nd Tier finalist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top competition. “Race to the Top is helping states across the nation to overcome longstanding barriers and promote educational innovation that will provide hope and opportunity to our students, educators, and communities,” said Polis. “Colorado parents have long enjoyed school choice, including neighborhood sch... Read more

In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama had two ways to make significant progress toward the platform for which Americans voted. One avenue involved cross-partisan legislative negotiations; the other involved a pure exercise of the partisan power of a 60-40 Senate majority. By the anniversary of his inauguration, both avenues seemed blockaded: the first by near-total Republican intransigence, the second because that intransigence led to delay and ugly wheeling and dealing with marginal... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) spoke before the House Education and Labor Committee today at a hearing on H.R. 4330, the All Students Achieving through Reform or All-STAR Act , introduced by Polis last year. Polis’ bipartisan proposal would expand access to high-quality and innovative public charter schools through a new competitive grant program that would enable such schools to replicate, expand, and serve additional students, with a priority for low-income students, students in schools with l... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis House Education and Labor Committee Hearing on H.R.4330, The All Students Achieving through Reform (All-STAR) Act Wednesday, February 24, 2010 (remarks as prepared) As we begin to rewrite No Child Left Behind, we renew our commitment to closing the achievement gap and ensuring that each and every child, regardless of economic or ethnic background, receives a quality education and the opportunity to succeed. At the committee’s June hearing on charter schools, we heard how ... Read more

As the House Education and Labor Committee launches its bipartisan efforts to reform the nation’s federal education laws, we must examine ways to replicate and expand successful innovation. Our goal must be closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child, regardless of economic or ethnic background, receives a quality education and the opportunity to succeed. Several high-quality public charter schools have demonstrated outstanding results at providing a world-class education to all st... Read more

We're glad to see a bipartisan push to fix the federal education law. Schools must remain accountable for student achievement. After watching health care reform fall apart, it is encouraging to see a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers joining forces to rewrite No Child Left Behind, the 2002 federal education law that jolted states into focusing on student achievement. The ambitious measure is far from perfect, and there is certainly room for improvement. We have criticized it on several count... Read more

Legislation introduced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Boulder, would make discrimination or harassment of gay, bisexual or transgender students in public schools against federal law. The bill effectively extends the same protection against discrimination that exists for women and minorities in public schools to gender identity or "perceived gender identity," allowing victims to sue schools in federal court. Supporters cite examples like a case in Vallejo, Calif., where a les... Read more