Centennial State News

In the Center for Education Reform's 2024 Parent Power Index, Colorado secured the twenty-third position, with an Overall Parent Power Index Score of 70.6%.

The index, designed to assess the degree of parental power in each state, highlights key indicators such as Choice Programs, Charter Schools and Innovation. 

Colorado scored a 50% in Choice Programs, which represents families' ability to access and choose programs that best fit their needs. 

The state's Charter Schools system, which is based on the availability of alternative educational options for students and families, scored an 85%.

In the final category of Innovation, scored on the state's dedication to fostering creative and personalized learning environments, Colorado earned an 88%.

While Florida claims the top spot with a 93% overall score, states like Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, and North Carolina follow closely behind in the top rankings, emphasizing a national trend towards prioritizing parental involvement in education.

Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota round out the bottom of the list along with six other states that received a grade of ‘F’.

The Parent Power Index serves as a valuable resource for families across the country, offering insights into state-level educational policies and opportunities. 

Through the index's interactive map, parents can explore the status of parental empowerment in their state and discover avenues to advocate for greater involvement and choice in education.

"Coming in for parent power in the middle of the pack at rank 23, Colorado's solid C- could be so much better if the state's leadership rallied around the unique and independent minded citizens and gave them more freedom to create and choose the best educational environment for their communities. The Governor is a fan of innovation and change but his popularity doesn't seem to translate to enough agitation to move the status quo. Keep trying," the Parent Power Index notes.

"Governor Jared Polis is committed to parity between charter schools and other public schools. This year he signed into law an education budget exceeding $9 billion which allocates funding for the state-authorized charter schools at a level similar to other schools starting in the 2023-24 academic year. Kudos to the Governor who also supported a statutory commitment to fully fund the CSI Equalization, also in Colorado law, which makes it difficult for opponents to undo the effort to equalize funding between charters and traditional public schools," Parent Power Index said in its assessment of the state’s “Policy Environment.”