All articles from Amanda Paulson
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Colorado wildfires could spread unpredictably in high winds, sheriff warns (+video)
7,000 people have been evacuated and 80 homes lost in a rural area northeast of Colorado Springs hit by the Black Forest fire, the most concerning of four wildfires burning in the state.
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Nidal Hasan can represent himself at trial, raising specter of jihadist rants (+video)
The judge in the Nidal Hasan murder trial ruled Monday that he can represent himself at trial. Hasan's only motivation is likely a desire to use the trial as an ideological platform, legal experts say.
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Oklahoma tornado's aftermath: How safe were schools in Moore?
Two schools were directly hit by the EF5 tornado in Moore, Okla., on Monday, and seven students at one were killed. Neither school had a safe room, but with storms this powerful, experts say there are no guarantees.
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Focus Education reform's next big thing: Common Core standards ramp up
Common Core standards are aimed at building students' critical thinking skills, and 46 states have adopted them. But critics say the methods are unproven and the education reform is moving too fast.
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Focus Common Core promises new tests. Will they be better than the old ones?
Even before teachers have switched to new Common Core curriculum, new assessment tests are in the works. Teachers hope they'll be better than the current fill-in-the-bubble ones.
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Study: Community colleges lack rigor, but incoming students ill prepared
Standards are too low both in high schools and at America's community colleges, if students are to be prepared for the careers they hope to have, says the author of a report on first-year community college requirements.
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Pre-K programs take biggest state funding hit ever
Pre-K study finds that states' total spending on early childhood education dropped by more than $400 per pupil for the 2011-12 school year – and about $1,100 per pupil over a decade.
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Audrie Pott family to sue teens and their families for 'wrongful death' (+video)
Audrie Pott's family plans to sue the three boys charged with raping their daughter and texting photographs in a bid to curb an 'epidemic of sexual assault and cyberbullying amongst teens.'
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Snowstorm hits Denver: why that might be a good thing
A snowstorm can push back the beginning of snowmelt runoff, which can help counter hot, dry conditions in the summer. The 'normal' snowfall accumulation for Denver in April is nine inches.
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In Atlanta cheating scandal, one culprit may be standardized testing
Some educators say the Atlanta cheating scandal is a warning sign of the dangers and perverse incentives that can result from a policy that stakes so much on standardized testing results.
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Holmes death penalty: Decision doesn't rule out plea deal later
Holmes death penalty decision was not a surprise. 'For James Eagan Holmes, justice is death,' the district attorney said. But there are many reasons there could be a plea deal later.
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Quick action helped UCF avert gun massacre. But it was close. (+video)
A 911 call by the gunman's roommate and the quick response of UCF campus police are credited with helping avert a massacre. But troubled students need to be identified far earlier, experts say.
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Sheriff vows not to enforce Colorado's tough new gun-control bills
The Colorado legislature has passed several gun control bills. If they're signed into law, one sheriff says he will not enforce them – mirroring the sentiments of many other rural sheriffs.
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Not guilty plea for James Holmes – but insanity option still on table
At the arraignment Tuesday for James Holmes, the Colorado shooting suspect, his lawyers said he was not yet ready to enter a plea. The judge entered the not-guilty plea on the suspect's behalf.
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Colorado gun control: Can state with pro-gun past enact new restrictions?
Colorado has a cultural history of gun ownership. It was also the site of two high-profile shootings. Five gun-control proposals are now moving through the Democratic-majority legislature.
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Progress Watch Why juvenile incarceration reached its lowest rate in 38 years
The juvenile incarceration in the US rate has fallen 41 percent in the past 15 years, reaching the lowest level since 1975, a new study finds. What is behind the rapid decline?
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Gun-control bills pass Colorado House: Was Aurora a tipping point? (+video)
The Colorado House passed four gun-control measures Monday, a notable shift for a typically libertarian, pro-gun state. Has the political climate changed enough for bills to pass state Senate?
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Closing education achievement gap: blue-ribbon panel offers blueprint
Better teacher training, accessible early-childhood education, and school-finance reform are key components to closing the achievement gap between minority and white students, says a report.
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Briefing Roe v. Wade at 40: Six questions about abortion rights
On Tuesday, the United States marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the historic US Supreme Court decision that granted women the right to an abortion. Here is a look at the state of abortion rights in America today.
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Decoder Wire Might Ben Affleck try leap from Hollywood to US Senate? So far, he's cagey.
The actor and director says he's 'happy being involved from outside in government.' But Ben Affleck didn't exactly put the kibosh on talk about a possible run for John Kerry's Senate seat.
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