John William Decas

I am a parent of two children at Decas. My children have both had fantastic teachers. It is not just up to the school to educate our children. Parent involvement in their childs education is a large part of what helps them succeed. When a child feels his parents care about school it helps them care. It is the little things like looking at their work when they bring it home, getting involved any way you can....go to your child's open house!
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children attending the Decas School. Every teacher they have had has been exceptional. I am very involved in the school and am overall happy with what I see. Like all public schools I feel too much emphasis is put on the MCAS scores. It is stressful for the students and teachers alike and cannot possibly be a fair respresentation of the school as a whole. Decas encourages parent involvement and my children enjoy being there. They actually "fight" about who has had the best teachers. As with any school you get out of it what you put in. Students and parents have as much responsibility as the school....
--Submitted by a parent

I love the teachers and staff at John W. Decas school. I appreciate how they teach and work with the students. I have two children that attend Decas School and I've noticed they made learning fun for my children which is critical when they are in elementary.
--Submitted by a parent

decas is a great and awesome school and i think it has good leadership. I love my principal Mr.Veira and every student should be proud of this school. I would give this 10out of 10 and all the teachers should be proud that they made up a good weathy school!!!!
--Submitted by a student

I agree that the new leadership at Decas does not provide leadership at all. I am so tired about hearing about his daughter and how things were in the previous school system that he came from. Perhaps he should return to the town he used to teach in, because he does not have the first clue in how to be a leader and provide the reform that the school so desperately needs. How sad for Wareham students and parents who work so hard to support a failing system.
--Submitted by a parent

This is not a bad school at all. I was a student a few years ago. In my opinion, the teachers are involved, and call home, and give updates about your child. It is not the school that is failing the students, it is the students that are failing themselves. The teachers at Decas are good, caring teachers, but the students are disrespectful, and unwilling to learn. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.
--Submitted by a student

they make a small budget go far
--Submitted by a parent

It is clear that some folks love Decas and some do not. It is also clear that under its current Principal, Decas is not performing well and is well behind the state educational standards as evidenced over several years by Decas' MCAS scores. This is a direct reflection on the Principal, teachers and administration. It is not the students who are failing the MCAS, it is the school that is failing the students.
--Submitted by a parent

Decas school is similar in demographics to the former school our child attended, but Decas has much less parent involvement, more disciplinary issues, does not communicate effectively with parents and seems to have a higher number of students held back. Department of Education information reveals that Decas has lagged significantly behind average state testing scores for several years including 2008. All of these years have been under the same Principal. The Principal is frequently unavailable. If available, she is dismissive and defensive when approached about any issue - particularly a problem. I have received from this Principal written responses that conflict with school records on file about the same topic. The PTA appears to be run by a clique that seeks to exclude the contributions of new members, but not their dues money. Overall, Decas seems to be a sad place.
--Submitted by a parent

As a teacher, I see time and time again the successful students are the same students whose parents come to open house, attend parent-teacher conferences and volunteer. These are the same students whose homework is done nightly, whose backpack is checked regularly and who come to school prepared for the day. I applaud these parents for their diligence and commitment to their child's education. I am grateful to those who instead of looking for excuses or someone to blame when their child is not succeeding look for ways to help their child and work with the school instead of against it, and I am relieved to say that there are many out there who do. By showing your child you value education you instill in them the importance of learning and are sending them on a path to a successful future. Thank you to all those terrific parents!
--Submitted by a teacher