By State Sen. Chris Romer

Posted: The Denver Post 09/05/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

As Colorado taxpayers and parents, we are all frustrated with the Race to the Top results. Our students lost out on $175 million in federal funding, but we cannot let federal graders dictate the progress of our reforms. We must move forward in our efforts to ensure that all Colorado students attain an education that prepares them to compete in a 21st century economy. 

That is why I'm proud to announce an exemplary Advanced Placement pilot program in Colorado.

Consider this: In the foothills west of Denver, Lockheed Martin employs some of Colorado's best and brightest engineers, leads our state's vibrant aerospace industry and produces world-class technological innovations. Across town at the Anschutz Medical Campus in east Denver, hundreds of doctors serve patients and lead the nation in developing life-saving medical advances.

But just a few miles from each of these pioneers in health and science sits a Denver high school in which only two out of 1,600 students passed the Advanced Placement calculus exam last year and no students passed the AP biology exam. Unfortunately, this appalling reality extends past that school: In 2009, for every 1,000 African-American and Hispanic students in Colorado high schools, only 13 students passed an AP math or science exam with a passing score of 3 or above — the minimum required for credit at most colleges.

This reality is an infuriating injustice to our students, and we cannot allow it to persist. In order to prepare students to compete for quality jobs and put Colorado back to work, we must invest in rigorous AP math and science courses in all our high schools.

Recognizing this critical investment in the future of both our students and economy, Education Commissioner Dwight Jones and I worked together on behalf of our students to bring the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) program to Colorado. NMSI is a national partnership dedicated to promoting and supporting math and science in our public schools through great programs like AP courses. In other states, it has dramatically increased the math and science skills of all students while significantly closing achievement gaps for African-American and Hispanic students in as little as one year.

Partnering with The Colorado Legacy Foundation, we've implemented a $300,000 NMSI pilot program in seven high schools across Colorado, including Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, and will increase this fall's student participation in math and science AP courses by over 90 percent. Race to the Top would have invested another $8.2 million of federal money into this program, but it's now up to us to rigorously explore other public and private funding options.

We cannot claim to be a great state if thousands of our children aren't given the opportunity to achieve in the classroom and compete for quality jobs. Regardless of federal officials' opinions of Colorado, we must move our education reform efforts forward; our economy demands it. Through innovative reforms like this NMSI pilot program, we can create opportunities for thousands of students, invest in our state's 21st century economy and begin to put Colorado back to work.

Democrat Chris Romer is a state senator from Denver.