RMDS is located in Jefferson County, but about half of its 61 students live in surrounding districts. That’s a sign of a school having success connecting with deaf and hearing-impaired kids and improving their learning horizons.

The RMDS vision statement highlights the clear focus and special status of the school:

As a high performing, innovative educational program for students who are deaf, we are deeply committed to providing a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. We prepare each deaf student to be literate, academically successful, and technologically competent. We provide a linguistically rich learning environment through the acquisition of American Sign Language and English both inside and outside the classroom.

Through strong collaboration with parents, the deaf community, the educational research community, the school community, and the business community, we are a model of best practices and an exemplary resource in the field of Deaf Education both nationally and internationally.

Now in its second decade of operation, RMDS is in its fourth location: a converted storefront on the west side of the Denver metro area. As its parents and leaders consider adding a high school to the preschool through eighth grade already served, the school has begun a capital campaign to raise money for a facility designed to better suit their students’ needs. If you know of anyone who can help, I’m sure they would appreciate it.

Just in case you don’t believe me about how well this school knows how to bring out the best in deaf students, then you should take a look at the book Deaf Education in America, written by RMDS executive director Dr. Janet Dickinson (formerly Cerney).

I wish them all the best of success!

(For all your Colorado school options, check out School Choice for Kids!)

PS: I forgot to say that I now wish to learn sign language so I can talk with the kids at RMDS!

Apparently, the idea that universal preschool gives kids an accelerated start into improved learning just doesn’t bear out on any large scale. Especially when you look at the Sooner State (and I think you ought to look at it sooner rather than later):

More than a decade after offering students uni­versal preschool, neither Oklahoma nor Georgia has shown impressive progress in students’ academic achievement, as measured by the National Assess­ment of Educational Progress. In fact, in Oklahoma, fourth-grade reading test scores have declined since 1998 when the state first implemented universal preschool.

Say what? Well, I guess you shouldn’t be too surprised — if you’ve been following what I say for any length of time. Like several months ago, when I pointed out what the brilliant Krista Kafer said about the overblown promises of government preschool pushers. They may not be trying to sell us shiny trombones and gold-striped uniforms for a new boys’ band, like the famous fictional Professor Harold Hill, but the purveyors of universal preschool utopia will be at least as hard-pressed to deliver the goods.

If you find this topic really interesting, you may want to check out the new book Reroute the Preschool Juggernaut by Checker Finn.

Denver’s own Piton Foundation convened a panel of six national education experts who observe what Colorado has done in many reform areas, and asked for their honest assessments. The result is a brand new report Colorado’s 2008 Education Reforms: Will They Achieve the Colorado Promise? (PDF).

In today’s Denver Post, education writer Jeremy Meyer sums up the findings:

Six national education experts took a look at Colorado’s education landscape and found the state is on track in some areas but has a long way to go in others.

Perhaps the most startling observation in the Piton report comes from Dr. Paul Hill – director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education – who commented on Gov. Bill Ritter’s stated goal to cut the dropout rate in half within a decade by saying:

“It’s a good aspiration but not likely to be met. The kids who will drop out of high school 10 years from now are already behind.”

Interestingly, Hill noted the following about efforts to boost funding on early childhood education as a means of meeting Ritter’s goal:

The effects of early-childhood education on the longer-term problems of dropouts and postsecondary completion are unproven….

It’s not that Paul Hill despairs of achieving positive change, but that he takes a longer and more organic view of reform. One of his key points is:

“Innovation needs encouragement and nurturing from the top, but it comes from the bottom. If you want charters to contribute to continuous improvement of the whole system they must face a level playing field. Moreover, all schools must be held accountable for performance in the same way.”

In other words, treat public charter schools fairly.

Yes, I know there are five other panelists who offer many of their own valuable insights. That’s why I urge you to go back and read the whole report. In several areas of reform, though, Colorado does indeed have a long way to go. Are policy makers listening?

• Address
• Map of the area
• Phone number
• Web site (when available)
• Grade levels served
• Religious affiliation (if any)

Schools that only teach preschool and kindergarten are not listed, but you can find all of that information on this special page they created just for preschool.

Parents who can’t afford private school tuition may be able to get a scholarship for their kids through one of the private organizations listed here.

And don’t forget that you can also look for public schools near you, too.