ALL OVER THE MAP There is no real consensus on expectations for children entering kindergarten, and a recent survey found parents and preschool teachers might be expecting too much. Chalkbeat

BIG SHIFT The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is launching a new, locally driven effort to help existing public schools improve, and will no longer support efforts to encourage new teacher evaluation systems. Chalkbeat, Education Week, U.S. News & World Report

FOLLOW THE MONEY Boulder Valley school board candidates supported by the teachers union are ahead in early fundraising. Daily Camera

PAYING FOR SCHOOL Five public school funding myths, debunked. (Nope, marijuana money isn’t helping much). Greeley Tribune

SPLASH OF COLOR Meet the internationally known artists who painted Denver elementary schools for free. 303 Magazine

SELECT COMPANY Heaton Middle School in Pueblo is on track to become one of only 177 schools in the nation rated a “Certified Advancement Via Individual Determination,” or AVID, school for its work preparing students for success in high school, college and beyond. Pueblo Chieftain