David A. Dutrow Elementary School

Posted June 11, 2009

While I agree with comments of the increase of discipline issues, and the inconsistency bias of the A.P. I disagree immensely with comments referring to the curriculum and teachers teaching the children to only take a test. Dutrow focuses more on the learning and the process then the final product. And as a parent I love that. My children are being challenged to think and not just bubble in an answer. Also having the chance to visit other schools in NN, Dutrow is surprisingly quiet without walls...Learning is not silent...without talk there comes nothing. Not without its issues...but better than the alternative in the city.
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Posted April 19, 2009

I agree with those complaining of discipline issues. Since Ms. Tanner has come in as the assistant principal, I have noticed a big decline of consistent & unbiased discipline. I am a very involved parent & my child has not been in any trouble, but I have seen some discipline actions that have seemed very biased to me. The administration has the power to remove kids from this school & send them back to their zoned school if they continue to disobey the rules & be disruptive. There are several kids who should have been removed from this school a long time ago, but are still here causing problems. Very unfair to the children who want to learn. I think this issue is one of the most important that should be addressed by the principal to her assistant. This is my only, albeit a HUGE, complaint against Dutrow.
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Posted March 24, 2009

My three children have not done well here this year, in fact their overall grades have gone down.. The open pod classrooms are noisy and many students do not fit well into this type of environment that invests them with a high degree of responsibility for their actions. The curriculum looks good in theory, but most of the time is spent teaching children how to take a test. Parental involvement is minimal and while teachers try their best to help students, they seems to be struggling to keep up. There is no real support for students who struggle academically. A few good extra curricular activities, not many, very little student participation. The school discipline problem is unfair and very weak. The Principal and Vice Principal are very hesitant to take action at times and many students suffer no consequences for their inappropriate behavior. Not impressed with Newport News Schools.
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Posted October 24, 2008

It's open concept allows children and parents to always know what's going on. While some would assume that its' layout would lead to chaos, the opposite is the occurence. Teachers are very open and accomadating. The academic structure at Dutrow is unmatched. Children are taught to think and question, not just memorize and repeat. Teachers are caring, respectful, and concerned about each child and parent. Administrators could be a bit more stirict and not biased. The school offers daily resource classes, including PE, music, art, library, and spanish. The school also has many after/before school activities such as chess club, odyssey of the mind, SCA, safty patrols jpurnalism, yearbook, and more.
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