David A. Dutrow Elementary School

I am extremely pleased with most aspects of this school. There are certain academic focuses that are required by state and local government that they must adhere to. Yet, I believe they are doing their best to teach other concepts as well. The front office staff is professional and efficient. The pricipal, Loooooove her. She takes such a personal interest in the children as well as the vice principal. I would like to see an easing of the dietary restrictions on special occassions though. I think it is quite admirable to find teachers who can work well with the configuration of the school.
--Submitted by a parent

Discipline is non-existent at this school. There is fighting, name calling, racial slurs and preferential treatment for some students and it appears the school does little as they are afraid that parent may withdraw their students from the school. Parents are suppose to attend meetings, sign agendas, etc, but in reality, most are not involved on a daily basis and students are sent to school unprepared with a breakfast, homework done, a good night's sleep. The standards for students and parents are not very high.
--Submitted by a parent

LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!! I am so glad my daughter is a student at Dutrow. We moved her somewhere else last year because she got into TAG and moved her back because the other school was awful. The NNPS policies are enforced here about junk food not being allowed. Most parents have a problem with the ban but I think that is wonderful since so many kids are overweight now days. The kids can wait until they get home and eat the junk if they want. The pod design is different and might not be for everyone, but it works. I have been to the school many times and it is quiet. The kids adjust to it. The office staff is involved and know the students. The PTA does lots for the kids and the staff. I will be sad to leave for middle school.
--Submitted by a parent

After 1 year, I am sorely disappointed. The school is very noisy & chaotic; the teachers and administrators struggle with discipline. Many infractions of the rules are swept under the rug as many students are subject just to a "talking." In my opinion, the rules are not enforced fairly and impartially. The Vice Principal is nice but does not present a strong authority figure, which many of the boys would benefit from. Parental involvement is lacking: poor attendance at PTA meetings, not signing agenda books properly, at home reading not done, etc. The inquiry based method is not implemented very well and most students just learn to take a test without being prepared for the real world. The Principal is cutting out many of the things that make school fun, like pizza parties, special snacks. Extra curricular activities are few and not very interesting or well run. The cafeteria staff works hard but food quality is poor and they are abrupt with students. The students do not seem to learn much from them. Overall , the administration seems more interested in meeting district and state mandates and parental input is not valued. I will take my children elsewhere next year.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have been attending Dutorw now for almost 4 years, and as those years have progressed my satisfaction has massively decreased. This school has cut weekly spelling words and quizes from the childrens study completely. They have also given Social Studies less instruction time, and do not concentrate on reading with the children that need help. Our children NEED a well-rounded education not one that revolves around testing and overall statistics for the school. Another huge concern is that the principal is banning a lot of food items from entering the school. Children are no longer able to have pizza parties, yet pizza is served at the cafeteria, they cannot have ice cream, which is served occasionally at the cafeteria, they cannot even bring a lollipop in tho their classmates for Vantine's Day. When it comes to the food discussion it becomes aggravating because the children are not permitted to have anything during school, but at our school functions, i.e. winter dance and fall festival, all kinds of goodies are available to the children.! So we are faced with a very difficult, yet simple solution: Do we leave our children at Dutrow? .
--Submitted by a parent

My child entered Dutrow this year for first grade. Last year, we decided to try our shadow zone school for kindergarten because it had a good reputation and was close to home. The teacher was excellent, but the school had some glaring issues, so we decided to try Dutrow and we're glad we did. We did it mainly for the Spanish instruction, but have reaped other rewards as well. The front office staff is head and shoulders above our previous school. The principal, Mrs. Pittman, is also accessible and friendly. We had some questions about the open pod system, but it seems to work well from what I can tell. There could be more parental involvement, but overall I give Dutrow an A-.
--Submitted by a parent

Some good ideas here, but overall, pods are noisy, a great of disruption and disrespect by students, some of whom should be, but are not, removed from the school under terms of the Dutrow Contact. New vice principal seems nice, but will benefit from a firmer, more consistent application of disciplinary policy. Parental involvement, which is mandated, is very, very, low and needs to improve. Students will benefit from parents reading and understanding the agenda book and not just signing it. Mrs. Pittman works hard for the school but needs to listen to the ideas suggested by parents and not follow previous procedures. Overall, I am not very happy with my children's progress this year as the school is not showing the academic improvement I had hoped for.
--Submitted by a parent

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.
--Submitted by a parent

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.
--Submitted by a parent

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.
--Submitted by a parent