LETTER: The graduation scam
The Review-Journal’s Dec. 29 editorial was correct about graduation rates “improving” at the Clark County School District being a total sham. Nevada’s public education system ranks 50th out of 51, just ahead of last place Washington, D.C.
We can blame former Superintendent Jesus Jara. Instead of promoting literacy, math and science, Mr. Jara dumbed down standards. Every assignment got a 50 percent grade, whether it was handed in or not. Kids were allowed to retake tests until they got a better grade, but almost no one was allowed to fail.
Right now, Clark County high school student math proficiency is 21.1 percent, more than half can’t actually read, write and comprehend and science proficiency is at 22.9 percent. The district is graduating a high proportion of incompetent dullards who are woefully unequipped to be productive and informed citizens.
It’s past time for Superintendent Jhone Ebert to take off the kid gloves, to make schools safe again by getting rid of “restorative justice” and to re-install real educational standards. It’s also time to change the district’s Board of Trustees that’s overseen this entire degradation of our education process. No one with a lick of business sense would accept leadership that gets failing grades such as the district administration and school board.
