The Scholars After School program is up and running at nine Denver elementary schools, and 700 students are already engaged in literacy tutoring, hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, self-paced math instruction, and a variety of enrichment and recreational activities. “Our comprehensive after-school program offers so many ways for kids to learn!” said

A few months ago, as I was driving to our office to begin the workday, I heard a story on NPR about changes associated with the implementation of the Common Core Academic Standards. The report noted that many school districts…