RECENT COMMENTS
Teacher turnover reflects larger problems in RPS
I was approached a few weeks back by Chelsea Rarrick, a WTVR reporter digging into teacher frustration and turnover in Richmond Public Schools (and particularly MLK).
She had collected data from RPS and Chesterfield Public Schools on teacher turnover by year by middle school. Not surprisingly, the retention rate at RPS schools is much worse than at the county schools.
None of the teachers who are still in the system wanted to be on camera, so I did this interview. I’m so uncomfortable seeing myself central to a story or on the TV, but it felt like an opportunity to stand up for the team.
There are some incredibly inspirational people working in our neighborhood schools. The career teachers who have been at the schools in the East End for years and decades amaze me, and deserve more support and recognition than they’ll ever receive.
Thanks John. You are a voice for this community on so many accords.
I am now working elsewhere, but I am rooting for progress in Richmond Public Schools.
Thanks for speaking out, John.
John, thank you for doing this. It needed to be said, and you did a great job. I think there are a lot of teachers out there who appreciate that you did this interview. And I totally agree with Mr. Neal, you are a voice for the community in many ways.
Great job John! Your voice was needed! Thank you!
My wife teaches middle school in a low income area, this is a sad but true story. The admin does nothing to break the cycle. A beautiful (and taxpayer costly) new school will be wasted, very unfortunate.
The sad but true tale of a failing school system. The problems start a the top and until they resolve the problems at the VERY top, the schools will continue to suffer. Leaving RPS for HCPS made it abundantly clear just how poorly run the entire RPS system is.
@6 – since you no longer work for the system, would you mind providing a more detailed assessment of what these problems are? As an outsider, I’ve been curious why our schools seem to be so shitty despite having decent caliber teachers from what I’ve seen.