Ritter outlines education reform

DENVER – Gov. Bill Ritter outlined his comprehensive education reform on Wednesday afternoon at the State Capitol.

His goal is to dramatically reduce Colorado's drop-out rate. He believes children are checking out because they don't believe the curriculum is relevant.

Ritter (D-Colorado) says he wants to shift the way courses are taught, meaning if geometry needs to be learned by building a home instead of sitting at a desk, studying diagrams on an overhead, then students should head to a construction site.

Ritter and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers gathered on the west steps of the Capitol to discuss what they call the boldest education plan in Colorado in decades.

They want people to think of it as the equivalent of creating an educational flight plan: doing what you need to do to take off, fly the plane and land safely. They equate that to doing what children need to do in schools, from preschool through college, to succeed in life.

"We believe it's time to push hard against the status quo. Create a bold new vision for education in the state of Colorado. A vision that very much begins with the end in mind," said Ritter. "It moves away from an emphasis on seat time and instead focuses on standards learning and standards can demonstrate what they've learned."

"Let's be clear. Colorado does not set the standards, the world does. Our only choice is whether or not we want to meet those standards. With this bill, we're taking a significant step in that direction," said Rep. Rob Witwer (R-Evergreen).

Ritter was quick to point out that this does nothing to take away from Colorado's assessments, but changes them to make them more relevant.

Critics say there are few details associated with the plan, which Ritter and lawmakers say will be fleshed out in the near future.