Principal at Esperanza Elementary
When Bunny Hull met Brad Rumble in 2003, she had just begun her work in arts education and Brad was Assistant Principal at Rosemont Elementary. Little did they know how deep a partnership they would create. Fourteen years later, the partnership is thriving at Brad’s current school, Esperanza Elementary.
Brad is an exceptional school leader – one of a kind. He entered the field of education because he recognized the potential for high-quality public education to change lives and create lasting opportunity. He is beginning his fourth year as Principal of Esperanza Elementary near MacArthur Park–only his third school in a 27-year career.
Upon completing his studies at UCLA, Brad began his teaching career in 1990 at Rosemont Elementary School in Echo Park, where he served as a classroom teacher, coordinator and Assistant Principal in his 15 years there. He transferred to Leo Politi Elementary in the Pico-Union neighborhood in 2005 as Assistant Principal and became Principal there in 2008.
In his nine years at Leo Politi Elementary, the school’s Academic Performance Index rose 143 points. His efforts to build a positive, motivated school culture resulted in robust parent participation, deep relationships with community partners, an enormous increase in identified gifted/talented students and no student suspensions throughout his tenure.
Brad has integrated his love of nature into his school campuses. Both the Leo Politi and the Esperanza school campuses now feature native California habitats that serve as living laboratories for students and are national models for connecting urban youth to the natural world. At all three schools Brad embraced the work of Bunny Hull and at both schools where he has served as principal with Dream A World Education, Inc. to help create a school culture which celebrates the unique gifts each child brings to the campus.
Brad was named a National Fellow of America Achieves in 2012. He also serves on Scholastic Book Fairs’ National Principals Advisory Board. Locally he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Audubon Society, where he is involved in many education initiatives. He serves on the LAUSD Operations Division’s Principals’ Ad-hoc Committee and Retirement Investment Advisory Committee.
When Brad began teaching in 1990, he never expected that 27 years later he would have worked at only three schools. Yet he now sees that establishing deep roots within a school community yields lasting results for students, teachers, families and neighbors.
Brad Rumble is a valued partner to Dream A World Education and one of our treasured Advisory Board members.
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