On a video posted to YouTube dated October 15, 203, Jordan Henry spends 90 minutes talking about his background and beliefs with LOKA Congressional candidate Alex Balekian.
Neither of these men have students enrolled in Glendale Public Schools. Read on for highlights from their conversation. Full video is below.
Jordan Henry describes himself as a "nerd" who "loves to do [his] homework."
Jordan Henry first explains that children should learn math "by rote" and that they need math that prepares them "for success in the real world."
He does not appear to have read the current California/GUSD math standards, adopted in 2013 and most recently revised in 2023. They do exactly that.
Jordan Henry then appears misinformed about what children learn when. Elementary students are actually expected to memorize (by rote, as Jordan would say) basic arithmetic for fluency. Here are the 3rd grade expectations.
Jordan then tells a flat-out lie about the accelerated middle and high school pathways in GUSD, claiming that the only way is 'summer school' and that this is "offensive" to him.
He shouldn't be offended - there are multiple pathways for students, including report card grades, standardized school-year assessments, parent advocacy, and teacher recommendations. Free summer school is ONE option that GUSD middle and high school students have for accelerated math pathways.
For someone who "loves to do homework," Jordan Henry appears to be seriously misinformed about what and how students learn math in public schools in 2023.
