K. Edward Borne

This has got to be the most irrelevant metro area relative to it's population, right? 1.5 mil in a place most people have never even heard of

While every WAC team has found a new home, and while geographically it makes sense for all involved, the breaking up of a league never feels good.

I teach middle school math at a public school in New Mexico, USA and try to share the ups and downs of this vocation. One thing most people are unaware of is that my students do not have to pass their classes to advance to the next grade. This policy of advancing kids to the next grade regardless of grades, attendance, or proficiency levels is called social promotion. I have a lot of students who do not complete assignments, fail quizzes, and maintain an F in my class, and they and their parents know they will advance to the next grade anyway. Notably, this is not universal. I have many students who do well in my class. About a quarter of the total students I teach are in my accelerated class which puts them on track to take Algebra I in 8th grade for high school credit, and I kick them out if they don’t keep up. The students with Fs in regular math and the students succeeding in accelerated math come from the same neighborhood which I’ve heard is one of the worst zip codes in the state for crime statistics. The difference is the parents. It is insane that a student’s academic prospects rely solely on their parents. Public schools are funded by taxpayers, and taxpayers must demand better.

A statement from WAC Commissioner Rebekah Ray