[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 867]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   RECOGNIZING BRUCE RANDOLPH SCHOOL

 Mr. BENNET. Madam President, today I congratulate Bruce 
Randolph School in Denver, which President Obama recognized in the 
State of the Union Address for its remarkable turnaround.
  Just 3 years ago, Bruce Randolph was one of the lowest performing 
schools in my home State of Colorado, but last May, 97 percent of the 
seniors graduated, including many who will be the first in their 
families to go to college.
  I remember as superintendent working with the principal at the time, 
Kristin Waters, to get these turnaround efforts off the ground, and it 
is tremendous to see all the progress that has been made on behalf of 
the students at Bruce Randolph.
  The Bruce Randolph community has seen firsthand that school 
turnarounds are possible, and with hard work and flexibility, we can 
improve our schools to better prepare our kids for success in college 
and the 21st century job market. We truly can improve the lives of our 
kids when teachers, parents, principals and communities come together.
  And now we need to work together to bring similar turnaround efforts 
to other low-performing schools in Colorado and across the country. To 
build on successes like these, we need to put politics aside, listen to 
the ideas and aspirations of those closest to our kids, and work 
together to reform our public schools in a way that supports talented 
teaching, closes the achievement gap and equips our kids with the 
skills they are going to need to compete for the jobs of the 21st 
century.
  On a more personal note, for me, for one moment, in a place that 
sometimes feels so removed from the work being done in classrooms 
across the country, having the children and teachers of Bruce Randolph 
invoked as an example of what is possible in public education was very 
powerful.
  Congratulations again to teachers, parents, students and the 
principal at Bruce Randolph School. This is a great honor for all those 
involved in the turnaround effort and the continued success at Bruce 
Randolph School.

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