Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA)

The Center for Education Policy Analysis at the School of Public Affairs' University of Colorado Denver has an ambitious research agenda that includes evaluation of national and local innovations in education, evaluation of educational outcomes and of parent satisfaction, and other policy research.

CEPA's mission is to provide applied research and program evaluation, strategic planning, and facilitation that enhance the capacity of local and national education communities to make informed decisions and solve problems, especially to ensure the most efficacious use of public resources and improve access and outcomes for disadvantaged populations.

CEPA focuses on preK-12 policy issues, (governance, finance, leadership, management, standards development, school readiness, parent involvement, school choice, competition and parent information issues) and higher education systems integration issues. CEPA staff employ their diverse educational and professional backgrounds when working with communities and organizations to provide applied research and program evaluation, and, planning and problem solving assistance. 

Since 2004, CEPA has been funded by national organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the University of Washington's Center for Reinventing Public Education's "Doing Choice Right" project. CEPA is at the forefront of much of the major research and strategic planning around education in Colorado. 

Current education-related projects include development of an after school/extra learning opportunity funding map; assisting Governor Ritter's P-20 Council; strategic planning around the P-20 Council's consideration of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education issues; assisting DPS to understand issues around parental choice, school performance, and school redesign; working with the State of Hawai'i to track high school graduation and college attendance; and, evaluating parental involvement in Colorado schools. Through "WIRED," a federally funded economic development program with a strong emphasis on P-20 education as a driver of economic well-being, CEPA is working to develop stronger and better pipelines from education into the workforce.

Contact Us

cepa@cudenver.edu

phone: (303) 315-2228
fax: (303) 315-2054

Staff

• Beverly Buck
• Kelly Hupfeld
• Jody Fitzpatrick
• Tracey O'Brien
• Robert Reichardt
• Paul Teske

NEW!

CEPA is proud to announce that Paul Teske, PhD,  Executive Director of CEPA, will become the Dean for the School of Public Affairs at University of Colorado Denver, effective July 11, 2008!

State Report Card for Colorado’s P-20 Education System.  Find out how Colorado ranks on measures of preschool, K-12, and postsecondary performance!

For references accompanying the report card, click here.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Assessing the State of STEM Education in Colorado

January 2008
Full Report

Prepared by Kelly Hupfeld and Beverly Buck of CEPA as part of Colorado's STEM education reform initiative, funded by a Best Practices STEM Center grant from the National Governor's Association and the Denver Metro WIRED Initiative.

STEM education is a hot topic today for a lot of reasons. So how is Colorado doing in preparing students in the knowledge and skills of the STEM disciplines? Colorado students do relatively well when compared to students in other states across the country. However, the state has some major issues that must be addressed as we move into the new economy:

Performance is lacking given the workforce needs of Colorado’s high-tech economy and the reality of global competition. (One-quarter of college students educated in Colorado schools need remedial education in math.)

Colorado sees calamitous drops in mathematics achievement between the elementary and high schools levels.

There is a large disconnect between the rapidly changing world of technology and the traditional insularity in our education system.  K-12 science teachers in Colorado admit that they are struggling to teach content well. The integration of technology into our schools has been slow and uneven.

A huge achievement gap exists in STEM education experienced by our largest minority group.

Educational experiences and opportunities among our highly diverse school districts are varied and disproportionate.

Funding levels for higher education in this high-tech state remain remarkably low.

Relationships and alliances with nonprofit organizations supporting STEM education are valuable and should be expanded.

Engineering the Future: Career and Technical Education Redesigned for Today's Students

Colorado Succeeds:Great Schools are Great Business
December 2007

Executive Summary

Full Report

Prepared by Kelly Hupfeld and Beverly Buck, CEPA, for Colorado Succeeds, a non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving education for workforce development and economic growth.

Not your parent's vocational education class, career and technical education (CTE) is a vital component for preparing students for post-secondary studies, job placement and the formation of lifelong learning habits. Colorado Succeeds wanted to know whether CTE really makes a difference for kids and whether Colorado should be investing in this approach at secondary and post-secondary education levels. CEPA researchers found that the best of today's CTE classes work at the intersection between academic content and practical application. Quality CTE programs respong to a number of pressing issues including closing the achievement gap, improving graduation rates and promoting post-secondary education. The report profiles model programs and identifies challenges.