Brian Duwe, PhD, is the new principal of McAuliffe International School, the largest middle school in the Denver Public Schools district. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

McAuliffe International School’s new principal, Brian Duwe, PhD, kicked off the 2023-24 school year with playtime. “I am absolutely up for basketball or throwing a football at recess,” he says. Duwe plans to spend one day a week with students in each grade at McAuliffe, from playing ball and eating lunch, to visiting classrooms.

Based in Park Hill, McAuliffe International School is home to 1,350 students in grades sixth through eighth. “We are Denver’s middle school for all students,” Duwe says. “We want to make sure all students have the support they need, and we have a plan to help teachers and kids continue to grow and improve, to make sure no one is falling through the cracks.”

Duwe was unanimously elected principal last spring by the McAuliffe International Collaborative School Committee and the Northeast Denver Innovation Zone Board before he was endorsed by Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero. He is a former special education teacher and longtime coach who served four years as principal of North Middle School in Aurora and six years as principal of Aurora West College Preparatory Academy, a turn-around school that doubled proficiency scores in math and English language arts during his tenure.

At McAuliffe, Duwe is channeling his coach mindset to craft goals that “empower teachers and build leaders.” He explains, “You have to start with trust and with listening,” adding that he hopes to embody “leadership actions in the service of kids.” Some of the core values he aims to champion as principal include: “We build others up,” “We work together,” and “We do hard things.”

He acknowledged that McAuliffe has had a bumpy few years, following the dismissal of principal Kurt Dennis and the change in the school’s innovation status, but Duwe says he feels “privileged to lead a school as excellent as McAuliffe and to propel it forward.” Dennis, who founded McAuliffe in 2012, was fired in 2023 after publicly questioning DPS policy regarding a student who had been charged with a violent crime.

“Student safety and wellbeing are always the top priority,” notes Duwe. While discipline regulations are set by DPS, Duwe is drawing on grade-
level culture teams to provide wrap-around support for students, setting clear goals and instructions, and educating teachers on policies. Two new teachers have been hired to assist with McAuliffe’s center for students with special needs.

As for the middle school’s innovation status, McAuliffe maintains a school-level innovation plan, and “all the flexibility with the curriculum, calendar, and professional development remains in place.” Duwe says, “McAuliffe’s traditions are established: The staff are phenomenal. The teams bring a highly impressive level of professionalism and competence, along with their care and concern for our students.”

Duwe is happy to lead Denver’s largest middle school after previously serving in a combined middle and high school. “You have to be wired for middle school, and I really do enjoy it,” he says. “You get to shape and develop a young person, get them excited about ‘what do you want to get out of life?’”

Duwe lives in Central Park with his wife and two children. He earned a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s in education leadership from the University of Northern Iowa. He received his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Denver.

“I got into this because teachers believed in me and made a difference in my life,” says Duwe, who grew up in a small town in Iowa where his father was a teacher. He continues, “There is never a day I don’t love going to work. Sure, there are challenges, but I love the opportunity to help young people.”