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This is the first in a three-part senes examining a Virginia Department of Education survey of the Rappahannock County Public Schools. This first installment introduces the poll and briefly outlines the response of the parties involved. It also details the response of some 150 parents and 27 teachers at Rappahannock County Elementary School who offered their attitudes concerning their school. In the remaining two parts of the series — to be presented in each of the next two weeks — the response of high school students, their parents and their teachers will be spotlighted, and the administratioJi’s reaction to the survey will be discussed.
By PAUL McFARLANE
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Parents of Rappahannock County High School students severely criticized the 25-year-old school building in which their children are educated, and students say they want better courses and more social life, according to a Virginia Department of Education survey of 239 persons directly involved in the education of the county’s youth.
In addition, the survey revealed that 40 percent of parents of secondary school students believe job preparation offered by the local school system is inadequate and nearly one-third of that group said their children do not learn to appreciate beauty and the arts.
However, more than 80 percent of responding parents said the school system is doing a good job of teaching basic English and mathematics.
But more encouraging is the response of parents of elementary school students, where the school consistently earned high marks in nearly every category surveyed by the state education department. ^ The survey, completed in November 1984, is part of an administrative review'conducted by the state education department last fall.
The local school board, at its August meeting, adopted an official “topics for action” to improve those areas deemed deficient by the results of the survey.
The survey is the latest — and most extensive — attempt by professional educators to determine local attitudes held by teachers, students and parents regarding the local public school system.
An adminstrative review is conducted in every public school division in Virginia by a team of educators from across the state who look primarily into the recordkeeping process of the schools.
Also included in that review is a 268-question survey of parents and teachers, and also those high school students who last year were sophomores and seniors. The survey elicited 239 responses.
In each part of the survey, parents were asked to strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with those questions posed to them. A column for no response or for those who answered “don’t know” is also included.
In general, parents of elementary school students gave that school higher grades than did parents of high school students.
In particular, the elementary school is doing a better job — especially teaching the basics — than the high school, according to the parents’ response.
The survey indicated that parents are generally pleased with the level of education offered their children. (Please see story below.)
A large percentage of elementary school teachers, on the other hand, complain that they do not have a sufficient supply of textbooks and that their students do not
88.8%