Elevating Rural Colorado
Elevating Rural Colorado: Building a Thriving Tomorrow by Investing in K-12 Education and Economic Development reflects on five years of partnership and growth in rural Colorado education and economic development.
Developed by Empower Schools in collaboration with Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Succeeds, and Lyra Colorado, the report shares lessons from rural communities working to expand career-connected learning, strengthen regional collaboratives, and connect students to pathways that lead to living wages and local opportunity.
The report highlights how state policy, philanthropic investment, local leadership, and cross-sector partnership helped rural Colorado move from individual district efforts to regional collaboratives serving students across communities.
In this resource:
How rural Colorado collaboratives expanded career-connected learning across regions
How state, federal, and philanthropic investments supported local implementation
How rural districts built shared infrastructure for pathways, work-based learning, and student access
What barriers remain around sustainable funding, seat time flexibility, transportation, data, and system alignment
What policymakers, funders, and education leaders can learn from Colorado’s rural collaboratives
Best for: rural district leaders, state education leaders, funders, policymakers, workforce partners, community organizations, and leaders building Rural Collaboratives or Early College and Career Pathways.
