Parke Lane Elementary School

Parent involvement is very strong in this entire school district. This is a good thing (can't belive someone would complain about that). Not one teacher is the same just because you don't like one teacher you can't hudge the whole school. The old and new principal both did/do a good job. My children have both had good and bad experences but that is life. I feel that this school and district is a great choice for anyone wanting there kids to get great education. I can't wait for my youngest to start school and watch her grow.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent teaching staff! I have children in grades K and 1 and I am amazed with how awesome their teachers are. My only disappointment is that 1st grade work is a repeat of K. Perhaps that has to do with MEAP preparation. Nonetheless, my 1st grade student is not bored and he adores his teacher. Parental involvement is a huge part of this school's success! And, the new Superintendent is very approachable.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in Kidergarten at Parke Lane Elementary and I have no complaints. Whomever wrote the poor reviews about the Principal of this school obviously all came from the same person who cannot spell and quite frankly needs to go back to school and get an education themselves. It is March and my daughter who's a Kindergartner can already read anything placed in front of her, she can write, and she can count to one hundred five different ways, amongst numerous other things. I've noticed a tremendous advancement acedemically within the last four months (since her last Parent-Teacher Conference). I am proud of her Teacher and the Principal. I know they care!! I see it on a continual basis and my daughter and her classmates tell me how much they care and the ways in which they care!
—Submitted by a parent

As a former PL student, and now the parent of a GIMS student who attended PL, I am also astounded by the negative reviews! I have had nothing short of first-class experiences with all the staff in this school throughout my years of involvement. The principal absolutely cares about 'her' kids; she is intuitively involved in their elementary school careers, and fosters a healthy transition to the Middle School. Now, she can come off as a bit cold at first, but I think she is appropriately firm considering her role - and no, I don't know her personally. I applaud the opportunity as a parent to be involved in my child's education - I happen to think it's part of a parent's job! Perhaps lesser-educated people are simply not used to this level of involvement in raising their children.
—Submitted by a parent

I too cannot believe the negative comments! My experience has been nothing but positive and I was very happy to see so much parental involvement. My child's teacher was great and the principal does care about the kids. From greeting them in the morning off the buses to dressing up for Halloween she is always involved and friendly with all the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Are these comments about Park Lane Elementary in Grosse Ile, MI? I can't believe the comments. The principal is highly educated and cares a great deal about the children. As parents, we are held and should be held responsible for participating in our children's education and discipline. How can we expect the school to be rated one of the highest without our participation and cooperation?
—Submitted by a parent

Parke Lane is an excellent elementary school. My children previously attend 2 of the surrounding school districts. Parke Lane provides what the other districts could not, caring teachers who go the extra mile, plenty of opportunity for me to be involved in my children's education, and opportunities for my children to participate in band, spanish, sports, etc. I am disappointed that previous posts from one disgruntled parent would tarnish a prominent school such as Parke Lane! One last point, ALL public schools teach the MEAPS!
—Submitted by a parent

The principal at this school is bringing the whole school down. Not that the teachers are great, but with some leadership at the top it could be improved greatly. The children deserve much better than what they are receiving. Discipline is non-existent and there is quite a bit of student-student violence. They don't have an effective way of dealing with bully situations. This causes the education of the children to suffer greatly. They 'teach the meaps' heavily at this school, even wasting class time on computer software programs designed to teach the students how to score better on the meaps. Instead of providing quality education the children are taught how to take that test. I pulled my children out of the school as quickly as I could.
—Submitted by a parent

I think that the school needs a new principal and they rely way to much on the parents and they need a new plan. I think that they have a very bad system and the teaching is horrible their. The principal is the worst i mean worst principal that i have ever experienced.

What is great about this school is how many parents are involved. What is not great is how the teachers rely on the parents to do so much of the instruction. Some lessons are taught almost entirely by parents in the class with only guidance by the teachers. The principal needs to be changed. She is unprofessional and favors certain students and teachers - mostly ones the knows outside of school. If this school had good leadership it could be great. I have hopes for the future with a change in command.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal is 'stiff' she doesnt seem to know how to interact with this children in 'her' school. As far as the teachers, they are quick (some of them) to say your child has a behavior issue when in fact they dont (i had this hapen to me and had my child tested only to show theres no problem). I think alot of this has to do with the town is so wealthy that they know the more kids they have diagnosed with some type of issue the more money they get for programs. that to me is wrong. I think my childs teacher was just so overwhelmed with all the other kids that do have issues she just assumed my child did too. she even went to far as to tell me that my child was way out of control. They need their teachers to be more professional.
—Submitted by a parent

We switched to this school from a private school after hearing many positive reviews and recommendations. The teacher quality wasn't what we had expected and the principal showed little in the way of leadership quality. Perhaps our standards are too high, but when it comes to our children - shouldn't we all expect the best?
—Submitted by a parent

We are new to the district so perhaps I don't know as much as I should. We are impressed with the quality of teaching. We appreciate the efforts to provide access to information and teachers: ie phone email web sites etc. The dedication to the arts and physical education as well as the basics is admirable. We are especially appreciative of the music program and the PE program. As a parent of 5 children in this school system, I can only say'thank you!'
—Submitted by a parent