{"id":2338619,"date":"2024-09-09T09:29:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T13:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/classical-school-opened-by-gop-board-rocks-colorado-tests\/"},"modified":"2024-09-09T09:36:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T13:36:21","slug":"classical-school-opened-by-gop-board-rocks-colorado-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/classical-school-opened-by-gop-board-rocks-colorado-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Classical School Opened By GOP Board Rocks Colorado Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclassical-school-opened-by-gop-board-rocks-colorado-tests%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2338619&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Merit Academy,\u2062 a classical\u2062 charter school in Woodland Park, Colorado, has recently achieved the highest state test scores \u200camong local districts, reflecting a\u200d successful response from parents dissatisfied with prolonged\u200c school lockdowns and increasing politicization in education. Established in 2021 after parents took control of the local school board, Merit Academy caters to grades K-11 and will add a 12th grade in 2025. Despite\u2062 students nationwide struggling with learning recovery due to COVID-19,\u2062 Merit\u200d Academy&#8217;s performance demonstrates\u2064 a positive \u2063trend, \u2063highlighted by its top ranking in standardized tests in \u200dEnglish and math compared to nearby schools. The school\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/largest-pennsylvania-police-union-leaders-tell-senate-to-oppose-biden-judicial-nominee\/\" title=\"Top Pennsylvania police union leaders urge Senate to \u2018reject\u2019 Biden judicial nominee\">founding board members<\/a>, including John Dill, expressed pride in these achievements \u2063but emphasized the\u2064 commitment to continuous\u2064 improvement. The school board \u200bhas faced external pressures, \u200cincluding opposition from teachers&#8217; unions and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-prince-harry-opens-up-about-family-rift-reveals-media-abuse-has-silenced-him-6\/\" title=\"Watch: Prince Harry Opens Up About Family Rift, Reveals Media &#039;Abuse&#039; Has Silenced Him\">negative media scrutiny<\/a>, as it navigates challenges related to funding and community \u200bsupport for its educational approaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A classical charter school that was preserved after Republican-backed candidates took over the local school board just posted the top state test scores in the district. Students at Merit Academy, a 3-year-old K-11 public school that opens its 12th grade in 2025, also posted the best scores among the four districts that families in the Woodland Park exurb of Colorado Springs can choose from under open enrollment.<\/p>\n<p>While test scores scratch the surface of student and school academic quality, these do help vindicate Teller County parents dissatisfied with extended school lockdowns, an increase in screen-based schooling, and creeping politicization of taxpayer-provided education. Due to these frustrations, this group of parents <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/09\/13\/how-rural-colorado-parents-created-a-no-politics-public-school-in-just-one-year\/\">started a new public classical school in 2021<\/a> and took over their school board that fall to keep Merit open and growing. Merit nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/05\/02\/no-politics-public-school-in-colorado-sees-huge-growth-in-just-one-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doubled in size<\/a> the year after that. Charter schools are public schools run by independent boards that can be closed if students perform poorly.<\/p>\n<p>The Denver Gazette offers a data visualization tool for state English and math tests. It shows Merit Academy&rsquo;s top standing in the Woodland Park Re-2 district on both measures of academic performance.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>The below graph that Merit Academy Headmaster Gwynne Pekron sent to parents, teachers, and staff last week shows the classical school&rsquo;s test scores at No. 1 compared to the Woodland Park School District, Manitou Springs, Park County, Colorado Springs Early College, and Colorado Springs District 11.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The state scores for the last school year, 2023-24, came out for specific schools and districts on Aug. 29. Like their counterparts across the United States, Colorado children are still struggling to overcome lockdown-caused learning declines. This year, some grade levels of Colorado children performed as well as the same grade level in 2019, but many average results remained below pre-lockdown levels. <\/p>\n<p>High schoolers have particularly shown less recovery of lockdown losses than younger students. Math scores are especially abysmal. Here are two graphs illustrating Colorado high schoolers&rsquo; PSAT results, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpr.org\/2024\/08\/20\/colorado-standardized-test-scores-2024-takeaways\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from Colorado Public Radio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Merit&rsquo;s high schoolers &mdash; it had no eleventh grade in 2024 &mdash; also outperformed these state averages on the PSAT, a college entrance prep exam.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;We are extremely proud of these results and the work they represent, but aren&rsquo;t done striving for improvement by a long shot,&rdquo; Merit Academy founding board member John Dill told The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, teachers unions <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/02\/unions-deploy-eye-popping-methods-of-disruption-against-conservative-school-board-facing-re-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vociferously targeted<\/a> the Woodland Park school board and managed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koaa.com\/news\/covering-colorado\/woodland-park-school-board-sees-change-as-elected-members-are-sworn-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">narrow<\/a> its conservative majority. The contest gained <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/02\/unions-deploy-eye-popping-methods-of-disruption-against-conservative-school-board-facing-re-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hostile national media coverage<\/a> from activists at NBC who support showing children transgender pornography. The local city council is attempting to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainjackpot.com\/2024\/09\/02\/woodland-park-voters-may-decide-fate-of-school-sales-tax-revenue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove approximately 10 percent<\/a> of the district&rsquo;s income and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/02\/unions-deploy-eye-popping-methods-of-disruption-against-conservative-school-board-facing-re-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the police were called on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/left-wing-group-is-training-journalists-on-election-coverage\/\" title=\"Left-wing group is training journalists on election coverage\">board member&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s wife<\/a> after conservatives decided to contest and win school board posts for the first time in 16 years.<\/p>\n<p>The school board majority has publicly pledged support for high student achievement and parent choice at all Woodland Park schools, and points to Merit as an example of the effectiveness of their leadership on behalf of all local taxpayers and students. In the last three years, the board has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainjackpot.com\/2024\/07\/15\/woodland-park-school-district-announces-pay-increases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">raised teacher pay<\/a> 16 percent and instituted performance-based raises.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist. Her new book with Regnery is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/false-colors-the-flag-of-our-occupation-joy-pullmann\/20707173?ean=9781684515875\">False Flag: Why Queer Politics Mean the End of America<\/a>.&#8221;  A happy wife and the mother of six children, her ebooks include &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/R1JL\">Classic Books For Young Children<\/a>,&#8221; and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/a2Jzp\">101 Strategies For Living Well Amid Inflation<\/a>.&#8221;      An 18-year education and politics reporter, Joy has testified before nearly two dozen legislatures on education policy and appeared on major media including Tucker Carlson, CNN, Fox News, OANN, NewsMax, Ben Shapiro, and Dennis Prager. Joy is a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs who identifies as native American and gender natural.  Joy is also the cofounder of a high-performing Christian classical school and the author and coauthor of classical curricula.    Her traditionally published books also include &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Education-Invasion-Parents-Control-American\/dp\/1594038813\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486730068&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=education+invasion\">The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids<\/a>,&#8221; from Encounter Books.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A classical charter school, which was maintained after Republican-supported candidates gained control of the local school board, has achieved the highest state test scores in its district. Merit Academy, a K-11 public school that will add a 12th grade in 2025, also recorded the best scores among the four districts available to families in the Woodland Park area near Colorado Springs through open enrollment. While test scores only provide a glimpse into student and school performance, they validate Teller County parents who were unhappy with prolonged school closures, increased reliance on online learning, and growing political influences in public education. In response to these concerns, this group of parents established a new public classical school in 2021 and took over their local school board that fall to ensure Merit could continue to operate and expand. The following year saw Merit nearly double its enrollment. Charter schools are publicly funded but managed by independent boards that can be shut down if student performance is lacking.<\/p>\n<p>The Denver Gazette provides a data visualization tool for state English and math assessments that highlights Merit Academy\u2019s top ranking within the Woodland Park Re-2 district for both academic measures. A graph shared by Headmaster Gwynne Pekron with parents, teachers, and staff last week illustrates how Merit Academy&#8217;s test scores compare favorably against those from Woodland Park School District as well as Manitou Springs, Park County, Colorado Springs Early College, and Colorado Springs District 11.<\/p>\n<p>State assessment results for specific schools and districts from the previous academic year (2023-24) were released on August 29. Like many students across America, children in Colorado are still facing challenges due to learning setbacks caused by lockdowns. Some grade levels have shown recovery comparable to pre-lockdown performance from 2019; however, many average results remain below those levels prior to lockdowns. High school students have particularly struggled more than younger peers when it comes to recovering lost ground during lockdowns; math scores are especially concerning.<\/p>\n<p>Merit\u2019s high school students\u2014who did not have an eleventh grade class in 2024\u2014also exceeded these state averages on the PSAT college entrance exam preparation test. \u201cWe take great pride in these results and what they signify about our efforts; however we remain committed to continuous improvement,\u201d stated John Dill, founding board member of Merit Academy.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, teachers&#8217; unions aggressively targeted the Woodland Park School Board while managing to reduce its conservative majority amidst contentious national media attention from activists at NBC advocating for controversial educational content regarding transgender issues for children. The local city council is attempting budget cuts affecting around ten percent of district income while police were called on one board member&#8217;s spouse after conservatives successfully contested seats on the board for the first time in sixteen years.<\/p>\n<p>The current majority on the school board has publicly committed itself to supporting high student achievement along with parental choice across all schools within Woodland Park while citing Merit&#8217;s success as evidence of effective leadership benefiting all taxpayers and students locally. Over three years\u2019 time frame since their takeover of governance roles within education policy decisions made by this body resulted not only raising teacher salaries by sixteen percent but also implementing merit-based pay increases.<\/p>\n<p>Joy Pullmann serves as executive editor at The Federalist where she recently published &#8220;False Flag: Why Queer Politics Mean The End Of America.&#8221; As an experienced reporter covering education policy spanning eighteen years she has testified before numerous legislative bodies regarding educational matters appearing frequently across major media platforms including Tucker Carlson Tonight among others sharing insights drawn from her background including co-founding successful Christian classical schooling initiatives alongside authoring various curricula materials focused upon traditional educational values rooted deeply within American heritage principles emphasizing parental rights over children&#8217;s upbringing choices amidst ongoing debates surrounding contemporary cultural shifts impacting society today overall landscape shaping future generations ahead moving forward together collectively united towards common goals fostering growth development opportunities available everyone involved throughout process journey undertaken together collaboratively working hand-in-hand achieving desired outcomes ultimately leading brighter tomorrow filled hope promise potential awaiting discovery exploration adventure yet unfold!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":2338620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Merit-Academy-1024x556.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40451,34783,40450,37383,40449],"class_list":["post-2338619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-academic-standards","tag-classical-education","tag-colorado-schools","tag-education-reform","tag-gop-board"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Merit-Academy-1024x556.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2338619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}