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U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman duplicated others' words in Post, DBJ op-eds

Written By Bersemangat on Sabtu, 20 Oktober 2012 | 18.56

A pair of columns published by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Aurora within the past year contain passages of previously published work by other House members but did not attribute the source of the information or writing.

The op-ed columns on different subjects were published beneath Coffman's byline in The Denver Post and the Denver Business Journal.

The Post op-ed contains

unattributed material from a budget proposal crafted by Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, while the Business Journal op-ed contains material earlier published by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri.

Ethics experts contacted by The Post said the duplicative writings fall short of their definition of plagiarism. But they said Coffman's use of material by other writers failed to reach accepted standards for attribution.

Coffman is engaged in one of the most contentious congressional races in Colorado. The Post made its discovery of the duplicative writing when a Democratic operative associated with the campaign of Coffman's rival, state Rep. Joe Miklosi, provided documents and alleged plagiarism to a reporter and the news organization's editorial page.

Those documents were delivered to The Post on Monday — the day ballots were mailed to voters and a week before early voting begins.

After reviewing the documents, editorial-page editor Curtis Hubbard changed practices for future contributors

meant to ensure that submissions are original work.

"There has always been an unspoken understanding that items submitted to the opinion pages are the original work of the author and that proper credit is given to other sources when it is due," Hubbard said. "We have now spelled out that policy in writing and posted it to our website so there will be no question as to our guidelines moving forward."

Coffman on Friday called the plagiarism allegations "absurd."

"My staff are in constant collaboration with various committees, and a major role of committee staff is to help members create content," Coffman said.

The Post's editorial board operates separately from the newsroom, which conducted a review of the op-eds in question, along with recent op-eds published by Colorado's current congressional delegation.

Staff for Coffman's campaign said that in the unpaid Post op-ed April 15, House Budget Committee analyst Matt Hoffmann inserted an explanation that laid out the Republican majority's plan to reform Medicare as part of its fiscal 2013 budget proposal.

Coffman's campaign provided documents showing how the op-ed column was altered — at Coffman's request — by Hoffmann, who inserted verbatim language from Ryan's "Paths to Prosperity: A Blueprint for American Renewal," published almost a month earlier.

Coffman said he didn't know that the material came directly from the budget plan. Requests to Hoffmann seeking comment have not been returned.

Coffman's campaign provided documents that detailed the collaboration that led to publication of the Business Journal op-ed Aug. 24.

In that instance, a Republican staffer for the House Committee on Small Business wrote an op-ed about the impact should the so-called "fiscal cliff" of tax increases next year transpire.

The staffer e-mailed Coffman's staff, saying, "We've written for you to use as you wish."

The Small Business Committee staffer also gave similar — but not exactly the same — material to other Republicans, including Graves, the committee's chairman.

Coffman's campaign said that collaboration with partisan staffers was common practice in Washington. And the campaign provided two instances in which significant portions of text were repeated in two pairs of op-eds published by Republican congressmen since 2009.

Coffman's campaign also provided a copy of a Post op-ed by Denver U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat, that contained similar material to another source in a piece published earlier on the Rocky Mountain PBS website. DeGette's duplicative wording amounted to three copied phrases — not full sentences or paragraphs.

Independently, The Post found one instance in which sentences in a Post op-ed written by DeGette later appeared in a press release by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute observed the Coffman documents and said these kinds of events can occur when a politician or public official makes use of a ghostwriter.

"Responsible practice requires transparency: making it clear who wrote what," Clark said in an e-mail.

Teresa Fishman, director of the International Center for Academic Integrity, said given the purpose and context of an op-ed, the original authors could easily have been noted.

"In my opinion putting forth text written by someone else as his own in an op-ed runs contrary to the legitimate expectations for an op-ed, i.e. that the content was produced by the person to whom it is attributed," Fishman said via e-mail.

Staff researcher Vickie Makings contributed to this report.

Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee

Shared writing

A Denver Post op-ed by Rep. Mike Coffman uses the following language from Rep. Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" budget plan.

Identical content shown in italics.

From Rep. Coffman's April 15 Denver Post op-ed:

"The second-least expensive approved plan or the traditional fee-for-service Medicare, whichever is least expensive, would establish the benchmark that determines the premium-support amount.

" If a senior chose a costlier plan than the benchmark plan, he would be responsible for paying the difference between the premium subsidy and the monthly premium. Conversely, if that senior chose a plan that cost less than the benchmark, he would be given a rebate for the difference. Payments to plans would be risk-adjusted and geographically rated. Private health plans would be required to cover at least the actuarial equivalent of the benefit package provided by traditional fee-for-service Medicare."

From "The Path to Prosperity:"

"The second-least expensive approved plan or fee-for-service Medicare, whichever is least expensive, would establish the benchmark that determines the premium-support amount for the plan chosen by the senior.

If a senior chose a costlier plan than the benchmark plan, he or she would be responsible for paying the difference

Between the premium subsidy and the monthly premium. Conversely, if that senior chose a plan that cost less than

The benchmark, he or she would be given a rebate for the difference. Payments to plans would be risk-adjusted and

Geographically rated. Private health plans would be required to cover at least the actuarial equivalent of the benefit

package provided by fee-for-service Medicare."

Note: In preceding paragraphs of Coffman's op-ed, he references GOP House-passed fiscal year 2013 budget proposal.

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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DU Pioneers open hockey season with 5-1 victory over UMass Lowell

Freshman Nolan Zajac's sizzling shot on a 5-on-3 power play ensured the University of Denver Pioneers would go home winners on opening night at Magness Arena, and sophomore Daniel Doremus of Aspen provided the exclamation point Friday in a 5-1 victory over No. 10 Massachusetts Lowell.

Zajac, a defenseman whose father played for DU in the 1970s and two older brothers suited up for rival North Dakota, buried a bad-angle wrist shot from the low slot to give the Pioneers a 3-1 lead midway through the third period. Junior defenseman David Makowksi and Doremus added goals to turn a close game into a rout.

Doremus, a forward, also scored DU's second goal and has already produced half of what he scored as a freshman. Zajac assisted

on Makowski's goal, and sophomore wing Ty Loney had a goal and an assist.

"Overall, a win against a team like UMass is huge," Doremus said. "It was just a big game for us, to start the season off good against such a strong team."

DU started junior goalie Sam Brittain and played seven defensemen and 11 forwards. Fourth-line freshman forwards Gabe Levin and Grant Arnold began spot-shifting with centers Nick Shore, Shawn Ostrow and Quentin Shore before sophomore winger Matt Tabrum was given five-minute major and game-misconduct penalties for kneeing late in the first period. Then the Pioneers were down to just 10 forwards, and it began to show after they took a 2-0 lead.

Loney and Doremus scored within 2:20 midway though the second period before the River Hawks began to dominate. They peppered Brittain, continually getting the puck behind the DU defense and producing multiple shots on the same rush.

Defensemen Josiah Didier and Scott Mayfield took consecutive penalties, and UML cut its deficit in half during Didier's holding infraction. Off the faceoff, Josh Holmstrom's big blast from the point sneaked by Brittain on the near side. Holmstrom is a junior wing and assistant captain from Colorado Springs.

DU scored the game's first two goals with heavy traffic in front of junior goalie Doug Carr. Loney showed excellent patience, driving through the low slot and waiting to shoot until Carr fell to the ice and firing a high wrist shot to the far side. And Doremus got the puck to dribble under Carr during a big scrum atop the crease.

DU was outshot 26-19 after two periods, but the Pioneers played much better to begin the third and drew the back-to-back penalties that led to Zajac's goal. The second penalty in the sequence led to Makowski's goal.

Makowski was making his return to the lineup after missing much of last season with headaches. He is among just seven defensemen on the DU roster, but all are capable, which is why the Pioneers are choosing to play with an unbalanced lineup.

The 6-foot-3 Brittain, who also missed half of last year — recovering from offseason knee surgery — finished with 37 saves.

The Pioneers continue their six-game homestand Saturday night against Air Force, which lost to visiting Colorado College on Friday. Senior goalie Adam Murray is expected to start for DU.

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357, mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mchambersdp

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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Unemployment rates show slight drop in most battleground states

CLEVELAND — Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local, rather than national, conditions.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off, and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September, and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably attributable in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tag line shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida on Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final faceoff in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign-policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters. Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out résumés and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

CLEVELAND  —Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state actually lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably due in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tagline shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final face-off in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters.

Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out resumes and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago, but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

CLEVELAND  —Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state actually lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably due in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tagline shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final face-off in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters.

Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out resumes and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago, but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

CLEVELAND  —Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state actually lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably due in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tagline shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final face-off in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters.

Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out resumes and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago, but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

CLEVELAND  —Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state actually lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably due in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tagline shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final face-off in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters.

Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out resumes and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago, but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

CLEVELAND  —Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.

The declines, however, were modest. It's unknown whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.

The statewide data released Friday by the Labor Department provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election.

But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.

In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"I knew a lot of people who were laid off and now they're working," said firefighter Matt Sparling, an Obama supporter from Parma Heights, Ohio. "So something good is happening here."

Obama's team is banking on the president getting credit for improvements in Ohio's economy, particularly for the bailout of the auto industry, which has deep roots in the Midwestern swing state. But Romney has opportunities to run on the economy in Ohio, too. The state actually lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September and the drop in the unemployment rate was probably due in part to people dropping out of the job market.

Obama's campaign released a new ad in Ohio on Friday, touting the president's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Without the auto bailout, one man in the ad says, "Ohio would have collapsed." Another man says, "Mitt Romney would have just let us go under — just let them go bankrupt." The ad's tagline shows the map of Ohio with the words: "Mitt Romney. Not one of us."

The president didn't mention the state jobless numbers during a campaign stop Friday in Virginia, one of two battleground states where the rate didn't drop. Virginia's rate held steady at the relatively low level of 5.9 percent.

Romney was headlining a rally in Florida Friday evening after spending much of the day in New York meeting with advisers.

The candidates were stepping off the campaign trail this weekend for debate preparations ahead of Monday's third and final face-off in Boca Raton, Fla. Romney was staying in South Florida to practice, while Obama and top aides headed to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, to prepare for the foreign policy-focused debate.

International issues competed with the economy for voters' attention Friday, as fresh questions arose over what the White House knew when about the deadly attack on Americans in Libya.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan accused Obama of stonewalling, telling Milwaukee radio station WTMJ that the president was refusing to answer even basic questions.

"His response has been inconsistent. It's been misleading," Ryan said.

Romney and Ryan have criticized the administration for saying at first that the attack was a spontaneous mob reaction to an anti-Muslim video on YouTube when they now acknowledge it was a terrorist attack. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of the attack to say there was evidence it was carried out by militants, although it's unclear who received that information right away.

Despite increased focus on Libya, the economy remains the No. 1 election issue for most voters.

Friday's jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling slightly in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nevada's 11.8 percent rate is the highest nationally. Iowa has the lowest battleground state rate, with 5.2 percent out of work.

Obama has staked his re-election prospects on the notion that the economic crisis he inherited is easing. He's been backed by positive trends for a handful of recent economic indicators, as well as polls showing the public's view of the economy is improving.

But millions of Americans are still out of work, giving Romney an opportunity to cast the president as ineffective in solving the country's economic troubles. Romney, too, has plenty of economic data to back up his argument, including disappointing earnings reports Friday from major companies, including Microsoft and McDonald's.

Both campaigns say the last round of data released ahead of Election Day is unlikely to sway voters who have been living the reality of the economic downturn and weak recovery for more than four years.

John Patterson, 25, a recent college graduate from North Carolina, said he doesn't have to look at unemployment numbers to know things aren't good in his home state. He's sent out resumes and had a few interviews but is still unemployed.

Patterson voted for Obama four years ago, but says he's not sure he'll do the same this time around.

"Things haven't really changed, have they?" he asked. "I mean, too many people are still out of work."

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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Out of Africa comes Colorado's future at offensive tackle

BOULDER — Who could have guessed that the future of Colorado's offensive line would come out of Africa? That's redshirt freshman Stephane Nembot, a 6-foot-8, 305-pound mountain of a man from Cameroon.

Relatively new to football, Nembot has started two games this season and graded as high as 77 percent as a right tackle in CU's loss to UCLA — a promising number for such a raw player who arrived in Boulder as a defensive end. Nembot in ways is symbolic of CU's youthful team, high on potential but somewhat overwhelmed right now in the Pac-12 Conference.

"Stephane has a bright future here," CU offensive line coach Steve Marshall said during preparations for Saturday's 4 p.m. game (Pac-12 Network) between Colorado (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) and No. 11 Southern California (5-1, 3-1).

CU can only hope Nembot develops into another Nate Solder (6-8, 320), the former Colorado standout who became an NFL first-round draft pick and now starts for the New England Patriots. In the meantime, Nembot has a story to tell.

Growing up in Cameroon, Nembot (full name pronounced Steff-on Name-bot) played basketball, soccer and even team handball, a fast-paced sport that is foreign to most Americans but is wildly popular in Central Africa. Nembot's potential on the basketball court caught the eyes of a college coach in the United States who was scouting Africa. Seeing that path as a means toward a college education, Nembot came to the America as high school exchange student and enrolled as a junior at the now-defunct Montclair Prep in Van Nuys, Calif., a L.A. suburb.

Nembot was hoping to star in high school basketball, but his life changed when one of Montclair Prep's assistant football coaches asked Nembot if he would like to try that sport.

"I said: 'Nah. I came here for basketball,' " Nembot recalled. "He asked me if I liked to work out, and I said I always want to work out harder. So he said I could run with him and he'd show me

The Denver Post's sports reporters contribute analysis, notes and minutiae on this blog focussing on CU athletics.

some football stuff. That's how it started. He was the first one that got me in a weight room. Before that, all I knew was pushups."

Nembot got his feet wet on the football field as a high school junior — his first year in the sport — and earned second-team all-league honors as a defensive end while playing in just a handful of games. As a senior, he developed into a major-college prospect by recording 11 sacks and forcing two fumbles.

Rivals.com, the recruiting-based website, named the three-star Nembot "the most intriguing prospect in the West" because of his combination of size and strength and untapped potential.

"I really didn't know anything about football," Nembot said of his junior year in high school. "Coaches would say: 'See that? Just go to the football.' "

Nembot attended a well-known summer football camp in Southern California before his senior season to improve his individual skills and learn some of the nuances of the game. After his senior year at Montclair Prep, Nembot seemed to like every college program he visited. He extended a verbal commitment to Washington State before switching to Washington and then finally settling on Colorado after a trip to Boulder on the last weekend before the 2011 national signing day.

CU coach Jon Embree sold Nembot on becoming part of the Buffs' rebuilding project.

"I liked that," Nembot said. "I'm the kind of person that doesn't like anything to be given to me; I want to work for what I get.

"It's easy to go to a system that has been winning. But here at Colorado, when we start winning, people are going to remember the ones that helped bring it back."

Last year, Nembot practiced as a defensive end for the duration of Colorado's August camp. Then, during the first week of the regular season, he requested a move to offensive tackle, which he thought better suited his towering frame.

"My high school coach told me that in college I'd either be a great player at defensive end right away or I'd move to offensive tackle, and to not be surprised or disappointed if it happened," Nembot recalled. "I always remembered that."

After redshirting in 2011 to learn a new position, Nembot began this season third on the depth chart at right tackle. He is now listed second behind starter Jack Harris, a junior.

"Stephane is one of the strongest players I've ever played with," junior center Gus Handler said. "And, of course, he's huge."

Nembot was thrust into the starting lineup for games against Washington State and UCLA when an injury to Handler forced some shuffling along the line.

"Stephane has already played more this year than I anticipated. The guy's going to be a good player," said Marshall, Nembot's position coach. "Every day is an adventure for him, being so new to the game. But he's worked extremely hard, and he'll see some time this weekend (at USC)."

In no surprise, learning the fundamentals and subtleties of pass protection has been Nembot's biggest challenge.

"I like to play offensive tackle like I did as a defensive end and jump into the guy across from me," Nembot said. "To do that drop step (in pass protection) is something that doesn't seem natural."

For a native of Africa, few things in football are.

Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280, tkensler@denverpost.com or twitter.com/tomkensler


Southern California products on CU's two-deep roster

Starters
WR Nelson Spruce, Fr.-RS, Westlake Village
OG Daniel Munyer, Soph., Tarzana
TB Christian Powell, Fr., Upland
DT Samson Kafovalu, Fr., Riverside
NT Josh Tupou, Fr., Long Beach
DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe, Jr., Corona
CB Greg Henderson, Soph., Corona
PK Will Oliver, Soph., Los Angeles

Back-ups
LT-OG Ryan Dannewitz, Sr., San Jacinto
RT Stephane Nembot, Fr.-RS, Van Nuys
LB Woodson Greer III, Soph., Carson
FS Marques Mosley, Fr., Upland
SS Jared Bell, Soph., Ontario
CB Josh Moten, Soph., Carson

Tom Kensler, The Denver Post

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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5 found dead after Denver bar fire ruled victims of homicide

Written By Bersemangat on Kamis, 18 Oktober 2012 | 18.56

Denver's coroner says Fero's Bar & Grill owner Young Suk Fero, 63, is one of the five people found dead in the restaurant when a fire was reported there early Wednesday morning.

Autopsy results are pending, but the deaths of the five have been ruled homicides, the coroner said.

The other four people found in the building were Daria M. Pohl, 22, of Denver; Kellene Fallon, 45, of Denver; Ross Richter, 29; and Tereasa Beesley, 45, of Denver.

Tae Moon Park, Fero's brother, says police have told him his sister had been shot before the bar at 357 S. Colorado Blvd. was set on fire.

When Park and his wife showed up at Fero's, police drove them away. When they were returned to where their car was parked near the

bar, Park said he had been informed that his sister was indeed a victim.

Park worked with his sister at the bar.

Denver Police Chief Robert White said the five bodies were found by firefighters responding to the blaze that was reported around 1:50 a.m.

"It appears there was some trauma to the bodies — it also appears to be an arson," White told reporters at a 5:30 a.m. briefing. He repeated that at a 2 p.m. briefing, saying police are investigating the incident as a "homicide-arson."

As reporters were briefed at the KFC across the street, blood staining the walk in front of Fero's was washed away.

In the morning briefing, White would not elaborate on the nature of the trauma, but Denver Police Major Crimes Unit commander Ron Saunier said he believes the victims did not perish in the fire and the blaze was set to mask the homicide.

"It's going to be a long, drawn-out investigation at this point," Saunier said.

Wednesday morning, friends and family of Young Suk Fero, 63, said her Volvo was still in the parking lot in front of the restaurant and feared she was one of the victims. Her car was towed from the strip center just south of East Alameda Avenue around 3 p.m.

White said Wednesday afternoon that official identification, manner and cause of death of the victims would all come through the coroner's office at a later time, after families have been officially notified.

He said no suspects had been identified and police knew of no problems at the bar Tuesday prior to the report of a fire.

Danny Duane Fero, 58, said he bought the bar in 1984 and his wife became sole owner when they separated in 1998. They never divorced.

Danny Fero, a retired federal worker from Aurora, said he awoke this morning and heard about the deaths while watching TV.

He did not know who may have been in the bar.

Acquaintances

said the bar had been struggling financially.

Brian Smith, 28, director of marketing at a credit card company, said about six months ago after he gave Young Fero a $150 tip, she got his phone number from a friend and asked him if he wanted to buy the bar. He had been there a half dozen times.

"She was pretty desperate, too. It was in her tone of voice," Smith said. "She kept asking. I don't have enough money to buy a bar. I tip too much when I get drunk."

When Smith declined to buy the bar, Young Fero asked him if he could lend her some money. She said the bar was struggling financially. He had to turn her down.

"She was a very nice lady," he said.

Ricky Jackson of Denver worked as a part-time bartender at Fero's over the last couple months but said he recently stopped working because business was slow. He said the bar typically closed at 2 a.m. every night.

Danny Fero said his estranged wife had also told him her costs were rising and business was slow. The economy was bad, she told him.

Jerry TenBink, who worked at Fero's as a bouncer, agreed with that assessment. He said he had loaned Young Fero money more than once.

TenBink said the owner typically worked from the time the restaurant opened for breakfast until it closed around 2 a.m. Her younger brother, Tae Moon Park, worked there as a cook.

TenBink received a text message from a friend Wednesday morning saying that the sender hoped TenBink had not been at the bar.

"I had to come see it for myself," TenBink said, crying. "I just didn't believe it."

TenBink said Fero's had been a rowdy place, where bar fights were common. "She was trying to change that."

None of the businesses in the South Colorado Shops strip center — a liquor store, an optical shop, a check cashing business, a tailor and a nail salon — are open.

Fero's storefront is intact, although windows are charred and blinds are warped.

The small bar is sandwiched between a check-cashing business and Eric's Custom Tailors Alterations in a strip mall.

The front of the building advertises burgers, steaks and Italian cuisine. A life-sized poster of a woman in a bikini stands beside a giant bottle of Budweiser just right of the entrance.

All five victims were inside the restaurant when fire crews arrived, Saunier said. Their bodies were removed from the building as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

A black Ford mustang and a blue Saturn sedan were towed from behind the restaurant about 10 a.m.

Police are asking anyone who may have been in the bar Tuesday night or Wednesday morning to come forward and speak with authorities.

White said Wednesday afternoon that some tips had come in, and he urged anyone with information — "no matter how trivial" — to contact authorities.

Chris Brady, 26, lives in an apartment behind what he calls "kind of a dive bar" and was there Tuesday night for free poker night.

He said the event involved only gifts and bar tabs — no money — and was a semi-regular occurrence at Fero's.

Brady said when he left the bar about 11 p.m. there were a dozen there people there, including Young Fero and a female postal worker he didn't know.

He said sometimes some "rough" people would come to the bar, but that on Tuesday night he didn't witness anything unusual.

He heard sirens in the night responding to the bar but assumed it was a kitchen fire.

Bar patron Michael Yazzie, 28, came to the scene around lunch time Wednesday with a single white rose.

He said Young Fero used to joke with him, asking why no one ever gave her flowers.

He left the rose as close as he could get, next to a trash bin behind the building.

Staff writer Jordan Steffen and photographer RJ Sangosti contributed to this report

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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Fierce overnight winds knock out power to 40,000 Colorado residents

 Wind gusts that ripped over Loveland Pass at 89 mph and along the Front Range in the lower 60s knocked out power to about 40,000 Xcel Energy customers late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Some were without power late into the day.

A cold front from the northwest blew in around 10 p.m. Tuesday and downed power lines, Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said. The strongest gusts were recorded between 11 a.m. and midnight.

Branches were blown, and trees were uprooted, and some fell into electrical lines. In some cases, power lines were swinging into each other, and heavy debris was blowing into lines.

"There were a lot of things happening that caused damage last night, all related to the wind," Stutz said. "This storm came in like a sustained microburst."

Extra crews were called in to restore lines and repair damage, Stutz said.

Denver Fire Department spokesman Lt. Phil Champagne said the department fielded quite a few wind-related calls overnight, including a report of a large silver maple uprooted by a gust. It landed on a house in the 3300 block of Fillmore Street. No injuries were reported.

The city of Denver has two sites where residents can drop off downed tree branches: Havana Nursery, 10450 Smith Road, enter off Havana Street; and Barnum Park North, 3144 W. Sixth Ave., in the east parking lot with access from Eighth Avenue and Federal Boulevard.

Both sites will be open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday . People using the sites must bring proof of Denver residency.

Branches, no larger than 4 inches in diameter and less than 4 feet in length, also can be bundled and put out as part of regular trash collection. Bundles must weigh less than 50 pounds.

Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, facebook.com/kmitchelldp or twitter.com/kmitchelldp

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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Cash incentives for Colorado students a study in progress

There's a reward waiting for Moises Banuelos if he passes the standardized tests in three Advanced Placement classes he's taking this semester at Denver's Abraham Lincoln High School : $100 for each qualifying score.

"It shows that hard work pays off," said Banuelos, 16, who hopes to receive the money from a program channeled through the Colorado Legacy Foundation. "If you really study your butt off and get a good turn out, it should be recognized with an incentive."

As educators continue to debate the effectiveness — or even the propriety — of using financial rewards to boost academic achievement, Colorado has moved forward, and the National Math and Science Initiative-backed program soon will operate in 30 schools.

It aims to increase participation among students who traditionally don't enroll in AP classes. Already, it has posted big gains in some schools that regard it as a cost-effective way to advance achievement.

"What we found was that the small cash incentive of $100 for each qualifying score will get your attention," said Heather Fox, spokeswoman for the Colorado Legacy Foundation. "But you have to want to do the work. It's a huge commitment on the part of the students."

But the basic question, says Tony Lewis of the reform-minded Donnell-Kay Foundation, is what constitutes the primary motivator in education.

"When students are provided rigorous, relevant, exciting curricula, that's the motivator, not money," Lewis said. "To think that we could turn it on its head through economics, I don't think is right — or fundamentally works."

More than money

NMSI has pumped nearly $80 million into the program in 462 schools in nine states, but the group's senior vice president, Gregg Fleisher, says incentives alone don't make it work. A mix of teacher training and student support, including weekend study sessions, constitute the majority of the investment. Students generally have the $89 per test cost covered, as well.

But incentives do drive students to make "appropriate choices" and ultimately help change the academic culture within a school, he said.

"We don't want to give the message that you get paid for doing what you're supposed to be doing — but for achieving something difficult," Fleisher said. "They have to work hundreds of hours to get $100 in August."

Incentive for achievement is "consistent in the academic landscape," he said. "We can do it the old-fashioned way, with trying to recruit students, encouraging them, having campaigns to get them to take this. But the incentives help us accelerate change in the culture in those schools.

"Once they're in those classes, it's all about the attainment. Nobody ever mentions the incentives."

Michaela Taylor, 17, and a senior at Widefield High School near Colorado Springs, jumped into the school's AP program — before she knew about the cash incentives — because she felt it gave her an edge in the college admissions process.

She recently received a check for $200. Although she plans to put it toward college books, she has seen classmates use the cash for everything from savings to a down payment on a car.

And this year, she's taking five AP classes.

Without the incentive, she said, "I feel there would not be as many kids taking, let alone passing, AP classes. I don't look at it as bribery."

As an economist who has turned her attention to education, Kristin Klopfenstein has no philosophical objection to incentives for students — as long as the incentives work.

But the problem with the cash payments in the AP program, which she has studied virtually from its inception in Texas in the late 1990s, is that the data don't show those incentives necessarily lead to better results.

Klopfenstein, now the executive director of the Education Innovation Institute at the University of Northern Colorado, examined the program in Texas expecting to publish a paper confirming the conventional wisdom that the incentives worked.

"But once I controlled for other courses that were taken, the resources of the school, other characteristics, it was quite easy to make the AP effect go away," she said.

The problem with research supporting the AP program, she added, is that most studies haven't controlled for other variables, so there's no way to know whether the incentives are responsible for the bump. Plus, the schools chosen for the AP program aren't randomly selected.

One study, by Harvard economist Roland Fryer, remains what she considers the "gold standard" of a randomized control trial. That study handed out $6.3 million to about 20,000 students at 261 urban schools to gauge the effect of incentives on achievement.

It found that achievement didn't improve as a result of direct payments, but students responded more favorably to "input" incentives. In other words, incentives that encouraged students to do the kinds of things that lead to better results — such as reading books — are more effective than incentives for an end result like test scores.

Although Klopfenstein says proponents of the AP program are "fighting the good fight," she remains unconvinced that the incentives work, or even that the professional development provided to teachers in the program is adequate.

"At heart, I'm an empiricist. Show me the data," she said. "And the data I've seen has yet to convince me that it's anything other than these are the kids who would have done well anyway, or they're in a setting where there were other reforms happening."

Teacher incentives

In the NMSI program, teachers also earn $100 per passing score. At Widefield, the average reward has been about $2,000, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction Megan Houtchins said.

But she adds that she considers the money a nice recognition for the extra hours they put in — not a game-changer.

Maureen Blunt, who has taught AP classes at Widefield for 12 years, sees the cash as an expression of commitment from the sponsoring organizations.

"But I can say for myself and those I know well," Blunt said, "the same work would be put in without the incentive."

In her AP literature and composition classes, Blunt sees a group of students already highly motivated. She figures that it isn't the cash that's driving the program.

"You don't win the tournament to get the trophy," she said. "That $100 is not going to be make-or-break for these kids, but it's a little trophy with their name on it."

Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739, ksimpson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ksimpsondp

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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