This Is For a Few Good Laughs

or even a few bad ones, as you can view incoming Washoe County School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez's Thursday interview with the Board of Distrustees here.

They were really pandering to this oaf. How nauseating.

Example of cluelessness: Martinez wants middle school students to take algebra and geometry by eighth grade--despite the fact that many kids cannot do the work because advanced math is age-inappropriate for middle school students. A few kids can handle it, but many cannot. Advanced math is at least tenth-grade level, and even there, many students don't have the cognitive ability to think in abstract terms until adulthood. No matter. If kids can't cut it by sixth or seventh grade, dump them in special ed despite the fact their "intelligence level" is normal.

I submit that as many as ninety percent of students in special education shouldn't even be there in the first place but are because of curriculum taught to students that disregards child development and is forced down students' throats before they are cognitively ready for the material. This has been going on for years as part of education "reform" and "standards."

That board needs to go--big time. Too bad I was forced to move to Oregon, for I would have worked overtime to get rid of any board members up for re-election.

And for your further pleasure is a Q&A with Martinez:

-Q: Talk to us about your leadership style and how it will relate to the board of trustees.

-A: “Internally, I believe problem solving happens at the building level. Now division and expectations happen centrally and one of the things principals always tell me is, ‘Let me know what you expect and then let’s talk about support systems and then you can hold me accountable.’ That’s why we have been able to see the kind of gains that we have. I think community input and involvement is crucial and I am a big believer in transparency. When we engage our community (we) let them know what is going on in our schools, and not just the good things but also the things that we’re struggling with. We have some of the best high school principals in the country, but there is still some programming that we can bring to the district that can take it to the next level.”

Translation: Since I don't know what I am doing, I will make sure I hire lots of administrators to help me understand what I am supposed to do.