By Moira Cullen, DFER Colorado State Director
Colorado was thrilled when, in his State of the Union address, President Obama gave a specific shout-out to Bruce Randolph High School in Denver.
“You see, we know what’s possible for our children when reform isn’t just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers and principals, school boards and communities.“Take a school like Bruce Randolph in Denver. Three years ago, it was rated one of the worst schools in Colorado; located on turf between two rival gangs. But last May, 97% of the seniors received their diploma. Most will be the first in their family to go to college. And after the first year of the school’s transformation, the principal who made it possible wiped away tears when a student said, ‘Thank you, Mrs. Waters, for showing that we are smart and we can make it.'”–President Barack ObamaState of the Union Address, Jan. 25, 2011
Bruce Randolph High School in Denver, Colorado
The President’s praise was deserved. Bruce Randolph was one of the first schools in Colorado to become an “innovative school” under Senate Bill 130, sponsored by then-State Senator Peter Groff. SB 130, signed into law in May 2008, created a new mechanism to grant schools a greater degree of autonomy and provide them the ability to govern without undue restraints from state, union, or district rules and requirements. SB 130 helped put Colorado on the map as a leader in education reform. The leadership, staff, parents, and students of Bruce Randolph High Schools were pioneers in availing themselves of the opportunity SB 130 provided to govern their school differently.