Pemberton Elementary School

After having read the previous post, I believe an update to it is in order: After numerous complaints by Parents and Teachers, the Principal was replaced in mid year with an Acting Principal, who artfully presided over the remainder of the school year. Teachers and Parents were then allowed to interview and select the new permanent Principal in an open process overseen by Henrico County Public Schools. The new Principal is obviously nurturing and "hands-on", which is what was needed for this suffering elementary school. She transitioned in during the last week of school. Pemberton surely will be back on track as one of the leading elementary schools in the State of Virginia. Parent involvement, which had suffered under the previous Principal, has already risen back to historic levels. After visiting the School Report Card published by the Sate of Virginia, the Safety Issues are back to normal for Pemberton. The only remaining issue is the location of the office. Visitors entering the school from the parking lot have to pass by many classes in session and the cafeteria before reporting to the office to sign in and get their visitor's sticker badge. Despite this, the future looks bright for Pemberton Elementary School.

Many teachers and parents are dissatisfied with the principal, particularly in the last 18 months (2005-2006 class year) He does not generally have a good working relationship with either parents or teachers. The teaching staff has a high mix of Masters Degrees (see VDOE school Report Card web site) as compared to other elementary schools. The level of parent involvement is high, but not as high as it once was in years past. Academic programs are satisfactory. Teacher student ratios are good. However, many teachers just teach to the Virginia State Standards Of Learning. Thus, there is a minimum that each child should have learned by the end of each grade. This results in a general lowering of education to the "minimum" acceptable mandated by the State. Many times they don't even distribute textbooks because they are too heavy for backpacks and because they contain too much information that is not SOL relevant. This is a good situation for the child who has difficulty keeping up, but is lacking for the above average student. There is only a part time art, music, and P.E. teacher because enrollment is on the lighter side. The older brick building has hallways only. (This is not a campus style constructed facility). Newer schools in the area have nicer facilities because they have a more modern design. However, Pemberton has a beautiful old style auditorium (as compared to newer style all-purpose rooms) which is great for plays and talent shows. The school also has a nice 1/8 mile circular track that is used a lot by the students. Security could be a concern. The office is located on the opposite end of the school from where the parking lot entrance door is located. Visitors have to walk by many classrooms in session before they reach the office. As regards School Safety, the school's Report Card, located on the Virginia State Department of Education web site, shows a high level of "fights" and "serious incidents" on a per capita basis (latest data posted is from 2004-2005) as compared to other elementary schools (even nearby Middle and High Schools) in Henrico County.