Martinez Plans Student Focus at Pali

Since July 9, the day she signed on as principal at Palisades Charter High School, Gloria Martinez has experienced a full range of emotions: the exhilaration of the new challenge, the breathless pace of learning about the school and its governance, and the anxiety that comes with all the unknowns. One thing that Martinez is not worrying about is what she calls the ‘tough pieces” discipline and special education. Her experience as vice principal at Malibu High School gave her time to develop a positive approach to discipline, and her educational background (she has a doctorate in education from UCLA) has equipped her with tools for tailoring programs to special education needs, from physical disabilities to learning deficiencies. ‘I have already dealt with the tough pieces at Malibu,’ she says, ‘but I know there will be new challenges.’ Replacing Linda Hosford, who retired in June, Martinez will become the first principal at PaliHi under the new management triumvirate. Her job will focus on the academic arena and looking after the welfare of the 2,800 ninth through 12th graders who are expected to show up for classes on September 8. She will be assisted in running the school, which became financially independent this last academic year, by executive director Jack Sutton and chief business officer Greg Wood. A native of Whittier, Martinez joins the staff with 17 years in education. She began teaching Spanish at St. Bernard High School, a racially diverse co-educational school in Playa del Rey, where she remained while pursuing her master’s degree and Ph.D. After taking over the vice principal’s position at Malibu in July 1999, she made sure that she always taught at least one class’a practice she would like to resume at PaliHi, perhaps after her first year. ‘I will miss teaching,’ she says. ‘It is a good way to get a pulse on the school.’ She also loves basketball and football and expects to out of her office ‘walking around and about. I like seeing our students involved.’ Martinez says she’s ‘all about giving all students a great opportunity’opening doors rather than closing them.’ She and her six siblings were given the opportunity that she believes this country promises. Her mother Rachel, who was a production pattern-maker, and her father Proto, a carpenter, worked hard and emphasized the importance of education which resulted in each of their children graduating from college. With her experience and expertise in maximizing academic achievement for all students’struggling and gifted alike, Martinez says the challenges in making sure each student receives what he or she needs are multiple. First, there’s the size of the school. Classroom space will spill into portable bungalows if the anticipated 2,800 students show up the first day, 100 more than last year. Martinez says that she will try to keep class sizes to 30-35 students. A second challenge is the student body’s diverse educational background. The school serves 117 different Zip codes and 60 percent of the students travel from other parts of the city. The third factor is communication’between teacher and student and between teacher and parents. Focusing on the ninth grade, Martinez explains that some 20 faculty members have been meeting this summer to work out the details of creating professional learning communities. Teachers in various departments’e.g., math, science, music, English, social studies’will be coordinating their curricula so that the high achievers will be challenged, and the average or slower learners will also be addressed. Martinez calls this differentiated instruction, which means that the teachers will try to use different instruction methods depending on the needs of the students. There will be assessments along the way, instead of waiting until midterm grades come out, and many resources will be utilized. ‘Whatever it takes,’ says Martinez, ‘the board is willing to provide funding; whatever comes out of the data, they’ll support.’ Martinez will also continue emphasizing the AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination), which prepares students for four-year college. ‘The whole goal of this program is to move middle-of-the-road GPAs (2.0) to a 3.5 or higher,’ she says. After enjoying stunning success with this program at Malibu (there were three AVID classrooms), Martinez will encourage as many students as possible to participate. There are criteria, including the student’s willingness to participate. ‘AVID won’t work unless students are on board,’ she says. Encouragement is also Martinez’s preferred approach towards discipline. She plans to reward students with Dolphin tickets for ‘catching students doing something right,’ such as picking up trash. The tickets are then entered into a weekly raffle for retail gift certificates. While Martinez’s experience and background give her confidence in her new job, she is comfortable with collaboration. Any visitor to her office notices the open door and welcoming greeting. While she calls the arrangement of furniture good feng shui, it also attests to her open- door attitude. The blinds on the windows have been raised, extraneous furniture removed, and the room painted a clean warm white. Her desk, placed in the corner, makes way for a small round conference table, where she prefers to talk with visitors, faculty and board members. ‘All this is new territory for me and I am grateful to have such resources to work with,’ Martinez says. She has already met with Brian Bower, the executive director at Granada Hills High School’the only other independent charter with joint leadership affiliated with the LAUSD’and with Merle Price, the former Pali principal who will assist the school in its charter renewal next spring while advising Martinez on the workings of LAUSD. Although the month before school has required attending a lot of meetings, Martinez is excited about the future. ‘The meetings are long, but I want to help kids; that’s the neat piece.’ Martinez, Sutton and Price will introduce themselves to the students at a school assembly on Wednesday morning, September 8.