James B. Davidson Middle School

This school is a joke. The children have no repercussions for the bad choices they make. Teachers are not backed up at all.
—Submitted by a parent

Davidson is a wonderful, ethnically diverse, community-based school with an amazing principal. The principal greets students at the beginning of each day and directs traffic at the end of the day to make time for chatting with parents. The art department, wood shop course and music are our favorites. Something people may not know is the school has a fantastic garden and creek in the back where science classes explore and do lab work. The garden club plants, composts, waters and maintains the garden and everyone is welcome. They even make salads, pestos and tomatillo salsa after harvesting! My daughter is thriving as a small fish in a big pond; she is happy and smiling every day and has met so many nice, hard-working friends there. She gets to know new kids every class because the teachers organize a lot of group projects where students get to work together, at school. Every quarter, they have an honor roll assembly to recognize all of the students' accomplishments and it is a joy to see so many of them walking up there, proud as can be! When there is a problem in the classroom, the principal has taken strong and immediate action.
—Submitted by a parent

The administration frowns on teachers referrals, says that discipline issues need to be solved in the classroom. Students are well aware that their teachers are not backed up by a strong administration, therefore, the inmates run the asylum while Ms (or DR as she insists on being called) McClean boasts that suspensions are down. Uh, suspensions are down because the administration refuses to take action, not because student behavior has improved! The lower achievers drag down the higher achievers as Dr. McClean has also gotten ride of honors classes. There is a grand dumbing down of students here, and their poor classroom manners which are accepted here, are not accepted at high schools while offering a sad reflection of what the students learned, or sadly, did not learn, here at Davidson Middle School. Please know, I am not blaming the teachers. To paraphrase Truman, the buck stops there--at the principal's desk.

The emphasis here is on political correctness and trying to provide basic skills for the high percentage of students who speak English as a second language. Teachers are grilled on the need to be "culturally sensitive;" unfortunately this translates to "not too white," and anyone who demands too much of his/her students will be sanctioned in some way. Unfortunately middle school happens around the time many Latino students lose sight of future goals, especially college, mostly due to cultural factors. Davidson does nothing to counteract this, and many students leave without the tools they need for college preparatory work in high school--this is "cultural sensitivity" in action. If you want to be sure your child will be prepared for high school and college, instead of succumbing to "dumb-it-down" peer pressure, choose another school.

I think davidson is a great school! it focus's on the well being of the students! The children have improved greatly since the beginning of the school year. I should know because I'm a student!

I was terribly disappointed in the behavior and focus of faculty at Davidson. The emphasis is clearly on bringing up the lower half of ESL students and allowing the top third to languish; why else would they cancel so much of their academic background and focus on "community involvement"? Our child had several good teachers in Math and Science, but the core teacher was more interested in popularity than improving academics. I am so happy we have the means to send our kids to private, even if you have to dig down- I would strongly avoid Davidson. When I complained to the school Dr. MacLean was incredibly condescending and hung up on me. I consider the whole year a waste of time.
—Submitted by a parent

Davidson Middle School is an incredible school for students. Over the past 2 years,the staff, led by a new principal, has made significant gains in academic achievement...for all groups of students - from affluent white students to English learners, and students of color. Unfortunately, many in our community choose only to believe miscellaneous rumors that don't have a shred of truth. The school offers regular "Shadow Days" where parents and members of the community spend three full periods with students during the school day. More parents should take advantage of this. The principal, Dr. MacLean was selected as Middle School principal of the Year in 2010
—Submitted by a parent

Please read previous post. For students who are Fluent in English, 40% who tested as Proficient or Above in English in 6th grade no longer test that high in 8th grade. 40%!!!!!!!! As for the subgroup of 4 Year College Educated Parents the drop in proficiency in English between 6th and 8th grade at Davidson is not as disastrous, being a mere 17%. If you look at the same subgroups at other Marin County middle schools you will see that Davidson is doing far, far worse at educating the kids. I am shocked that Davidson parents aren't up in arms about this. My own experience is that they are so paranoid and intimidated about being accused of being elitist and racist, that parents are reluctant to complain. My child attended this school and later a private school. She is so much happier and better educated for having left.

I am just about to start my fourth year as a teacher at Davidson. I am so excited for this Wednesday when I can open up my room to welcome the kids I love to be with. As I look through the list of comments here I notice that each year the comments were more positive. That in itself is very exciting. Speaking as a staff member, I come to school each day with the thrill of seeing these middle school kids. I love what I teach (9 years in all) and I too have seen very positive changes happening at Davidson. We are forced to evolve. We must. Teachers at schools that score high on the CST because the student population has financial advantages, don't need to evolve. Teaching at Davidson is challenging work, but so well worth it! The kids rock!
—Submitted by a teacher

Davidson has a new Principal, AP and Dean this fall. Dr. MacLean, the Principal, and Ms. Centrella, the Assistant Principal, bring tangible experience in both the theory and practicality of educating middle schoolers, and this is already evident in the school climate. Mr. Richardson, Dean of Students, was a beloved Math teacher so he brings an enthusiasm and knowledge of DMS. Based on parent, faculty and student surveys last spring, the school is focused on 3 key areas this year - behavior/discipline, homework and parent involvement. Behavior/discipline and homework policies with clear standards for students and faculty have been created and consistent implementation school-wide is being monitored by the Principal. The approach for greater parent involvement inside the classroom is being developed this first semester; parents are already heavily involved outside the classroom. The school is the most vibrant it's been in the 4 years I've been a DMS parent.
—Submitted by a parent

bad teachers and unmotivated students
—Submitted by a parent

Davidson has made amazing progress in the past few years, and now is among the top in Marin County. It has new facilities, new leadership, improved and expanded academics and activities. Award winning spelling bee champs, Mathaletes, chorus, orchestra, steel pans, band and others testify to the excellence of the students and faculty. Committed community of parents and others has coalesced to provide great support to this amazing school.
—Submitted by a parent

Even though it remains in Program Improvement (an unfortunate label for too many fine schools in California with minority or special needs subgroups), Davidson has several key strengths and has improved significantly in just this year. Davidson s rise is due to three important developments: 1) the District has hired a new principal, John Berry, who is a breath of fresh air; 2) the District is getting serious about providing resources and oversight, despite budget constraints, to help Davidson emerge from P.I.; and 3) there is a new emphasis on parent involvement at the school (the DMS Dads Club alone has doubled the parent volunteerism and energy at the school!). Although Davidson can t escape the low test scores of certain student subgroups, it s important to remember that it s primarily the test results of a small number of students that keeps Davidson in P.I. The majority of students are academically motivated.
—Submitted by a parent

My child's eighth grade trip to Washington DC, coordinated annually by a dedicated history teacher at Davidson Middle School, has been one of the high points of her life. There were tears when it was time to come home. The school's annual Spring Spectacular is an awesome achievement. It is a labor of love, and a shrewd bonding tool between the different racial groups. The school is challenged by very diverse academic needs, and I think it's handled well. The honors classes prepared my children well for high school. I witnessed a few substandard teachers in the nine years that I'd been a parent there, but noticed that each was not invited back....so someone is certainly accessing them. The new campus is cheerful and inviting. I have no regrets about having sent my kids to Davidson.
—Submitted by a parent

great school the teachers love the students and do a lot of fun projects for them to learn,also the principle always wants the students to get A's and B's.
—Submitted by a student

I have two eighth graders at Davidson and two older children, previous graduates. Each of my children has his/her own unique personality and abilities, and we have been involved in intramural sports, 'Spring Spectacular', music program, Mathletes, and Honors classes. The level of student participation in the Spring Spectacular alone is, well . . spectacular. We believe Davidson does an excellent job of meeing the needs of its diverse student population. All parent flyers are provided in both English and Spanish, and a translator is utilized at most, if not all, school functions we have attended. Parental involvement varies from year to year, but is usually high. The opportunity is available at Davidson for every child wanting to take advantage of it and interested in working to their potential. With few exceptions, over an extended nine-year involvement, I have found the Davidson teachers and staff to be very motivated.
—Submitted by a parent

The best thing about Davidson is the music program. Mr. Trillo is doing a wonderful job. Beyond the music, there are immense problems. My two kids are on different tracks. One is advanced, the other in regular classes. The regular classes are not good. The teachers are challenged because most of the students are roudy and cannot respect the rule of authority. There are many, many racial issues at this school. Don't let anyone deny this because it is a fact. The administration does everything it can to whitewash this issue, but it is true. Try spending some hours on campus to see for yourself. There is very little interaction between the two primary races. While there is no real fighting (and no real gangs), the atmosphere does not encourage integration between economic and racial classes. If you have to send your kid to Davidson, make sure to get advanced classes!
—Submitted by a parent

Don't move to San Rafael if you want your child to have a good education in the public school system K-12. Davidson is the only stand alone middle school and it becomes worse by the year. Counseling office is hostile to the parents. The admin., especially the Principal, is often unfriendly. Principal manages autocratically. It is a culture in which doing well in school is uncool. Homes are cheaper in San Rafael . Davidson is one reason why.
—Submitted by a parent

A huge disappointment to us. Our student is a bright, well mannered child who has been subjected to 3 years in a row of Math teachers who cannot control the class. This school's wealthy white 'popular' crowd rules the roost and the guidance counselors and administration pretty much allow it. Nothing is done to address the classist/elitist environment. The same kids win the awards over and over again. Academically, the english,history and science offerings are good to very good. Extracurriculars are non-existence or very poorly publicized. This school has many challenges, and we are aware of the many tough tasks they face, but they come up short time and time again. There is little to no outreach to new parents or to minority parents. The administrators are alarmingly insensitive to both students and parents.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been a big disappointment. It is probably fine for most kids, but our sixth grader needs to be with other high functioning autistic kids like him. The school and Sp. Ed office has not fulfilled his IEP. Our son is entitled by law to learning opportunities, in an appropriate environment, all of which have not been made available to us. As a result, our son got the short end of the stick this year, in spite of my continuous begging for a change. There are serious consequences when a school does not implement an established IEP. Our son's teachers have no prior experience, education nor understanding of Asperger's Syndrome and autism spectrum issues. I would not recommend Davidson.
—Submitted by a parent