Las Vegas Sun

February 12, 2012

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Sun editorial:

An amazing turnaround

Valley High Principal Montoya deserves praise for school’s “high-achieving” status

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 | 2:08 a.m.

Valley High School used to be known as a place that had low-achieving students in reading and math. The school also had high turnover and low morale among teachers, putting it on the wrong educational path.

That’s all in the past.

As reported Monday by Emily Richmond in the Las Vegas Sun, Valley last week became the first Clark County school to be designated as a “high-achieving turnaround” school under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It is a remarkable achievement owed in part to the leadership of Principal Ron Montoya.

An easy way to gauge achievement is to look at measurable performance. Nearly 80 percent of Valley’s juniors passed the state’s math proficiency exam this year, compared with only 44 percent who did so in 2004. Reading achievement also skyrocketed.

What were some of the things Montoya did to fuel the turnaround? He improved teacher morale, instituted more individual planning for remedial students, emphasized after-school tutoring and, importantly, made students feel good about themselves.

Recent Valley graduate Michele Rey-Morales, recalling the school’s preparations for the proficiency exam, vouched for its effectiveness when she told the Sun: “It wasn’t just getting ready before the test. Right after, if you didn’t pass, there were teachers looking at the areas where you needed more help for the next time.”

What has been accomplished at Valley could serve as a good example for other schools that have struggled with underachievement. Montoya has shown that strong vision and leadership at the top can have a powerful influence on a high school.

None of Montoya’s success should minimize the fact that Nevada’s public schools are still relatively poorly funded when compared with per-capita spending in other states. Nevada could retain competent educators longer with better pay and working conditions. The state also could do far more to provide students with the books, computers, facilities and other resources necessary to succeed.

Add increased investment in education to the skills possessed by the likes of Montoya, and academic achievement in Southern Nevada could really take off.

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