How Norlen Melendez Is Redefining Educational Excellence

By Akanksha Harsh

When Norlen Melendez joined Youth-Co-Op Preparatory Charter School in Hialeah, Florida, the middle and high school math departments were facing an uphill battle. The school’s academic ratings, ‘C’ for middle school and ‘B’ for high school, reflected a broader national struggle: American students lagging behind in mathematics proficiency. Two years later, both divisions earned an ‘A.’

Behind that transformation was a quiet revolution. Melendez, a Venezuelan-born educator with more than two decades of teaching experience, helped steer a cultural and cognitive shift in how math was taught and understood. Her approach, rooted in critical thinking, logic, and applied reasoning, eschewed rote memorization in favor of conceptual understanding.

“We’re not just teaching students to remember formulas,” Melendez said in an interview. “We’re teaching them to reason through problems and apply logic. When students understand ‘why’ something works, they don’t forget it.”

The results speak for themselves. Florida Department of Education data shows statewide math proficiency hovering around 55 percent in 2024. At Youth-Co-Op, Melendez and her colleagues are now far exceeding that average.

The Memorization Trap

Across the United States, math anxiety and declining performance have become chronic challenges. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that eighth-grade math scores dropped to their lowest levels in decades after the pandemic. Experts attribute this decline to interrupted learning, over-reliance on test preparation, and outdated teaching methods that emphasize memorization over understanding.

Melendez calls this the ‘memorization trap’, a systemic flaw that limits a student’s ability to think critically. “Memorization may get you through a quiz, but it doesn’t build the skills needed for college, STEM fields, or real-world problem-solving,” she said.

In her classrooms, Melendez applies what she calls “rational learning.” Students break down mathematical concepts into logical steps, often through interactive exercises, visual aids, and real-life examples. “When a student sees how math applies to the world around them, from calculating energy use to designing technology, they stop seeing it as abstract,” she added.

From Venezuela to Miami: A Global Journey in Education

Melendez’s journey began in Venezuela, where she served as Head of the Math Department at Universidad Yacambú. In 1999, while studying student performance at the university, she made a startling discovery: more than half of engineering students were skipping remote learning sessions, leading to high failure rates. The experience inspired her to earn a master’s degree in Educational Management and later a certification as an Expert in E-learning.

“I realized that technology alone wasn’t enough,” she recalled. “We had to rethink how students engage, how they see themselves as problem-solvers.”

That philosophy carried over when Melendez immigrated to the United States, joining Miami-Dade’s education system and launching Math By Us LLC in 2018. The tutoring company became an extension of his mission: to close academic gaps, boost confidence, and make mathematics accessible to all students, including those with language barriers or learning differences.

Tackling a National Teacher Shortage

When Florida’s Department of Education declared a critical teacher shortage in mathematics, Melendez stepped in. She began teaching full-time at Silver Lakes Middle School while also serving as a lab instructor at Miami Dade College. Today, she teaches 7th and 8th grade mathematics while continuing to prepare college students for advanced calculus and STEM careers.

The American teacher shortage is severe: according to the Learning Policy Institute, U.S. schools were short roughly 55 000 certified teachers in 2024, with math and science among the hardest hit subjects. Melendez sees this not just as a staffing problem but as a pipeline problem.

“Fewer students are going into STEM because they’ve been told they’re ‘not good at math,’” she said. “That’s not true. Every student can excel when taught how to think critically and logically.”

Her students’ achievements suggest she’s right. Several have gone on to secure scholarships covering up to 60 percent of their tuition at institutions like Florida State University and Florida Atlantic University.

Reimagining Math for the Next Generation

At a time when AI and data science are reshaping global economies, the need for mathematically literate citizens has never been greater. Yet, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM jobs are projected to grow twice as fast as non-STEM roles through 2031, while the number of students pursuing math-related degrees continues to decline.

Melendez sees the disconnect as an opportunity. “We have to stop teaching math as an obstacle and start teaching it as a language of innovation,” she said. Her curriculum blends analytical rigor with creativity, often gamifying lessons to help students grasp complex ideas. She incorporates storytelling, logic puzzles, and group problem-solving. These are methods that make even the most reluctant learners engage.

She also uses her bilingual proficiency to bridge communication gaps among Hispanic students, who make up nearly 70 percent of Miami-Dade’s student population. “Many immigrant students feel left behind in math, not because they can’t do it, but because they don’t understand the context,” she explained. “When you teach in both languages and cultures, you unlock their potential.”

For Melendez, success isn’t just about higher grades or test scores. It’s about erasing fear. “A student’s mindset determines everything,” she said. “If they believe math is impossible, it becomes impossible. If they see it as a puzzle they can solve, everything changes.”

Her teaching philosophy draws from the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy in psychology. This is the idea that belief shapes performance. By creating a supportive, inquiry-driven environment, Melendez has helped countless students overcome their math anxiety and rediscover a love of learning.

“Math is a skill for life,” she said. “And once you learn to think logically, you can solve anything.”

A Vision for the Future

Looking ahead, Melendez plans to expand his impact through teacher training and national curriculum development. Her next goal is to mentor new educators, helping them adopt evidence-based, logic-centered teaching models. She also hopes to develop programs aligned with the U.S. push for clean energy and advanced manufacturing, training future technicians in applied mathematics for companies like Tesla.

“The future of our country depends on how well we teach logic and problem-solving today,” she said. “If we want innovation, we must start in the classroom.”