Richmond Public Schools

Last updated

Richmond Public Schools
Address
301 North Ninth Street
Richmond
, Virginia, 23219
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesPreK–12 [1]
SuperintendentJason Kamras
School boardDistrict 1 - Elizabeth Doerr

District 2 - Mariah White

District 3 - Kenya Gibson

District 4 - Jonathan Young

District 5 - Stephanie Rizzi, Chair

District 6 - Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed

District 7 - Cheryl Burke, Vice Chair

District 8 - Dawn Page

District 9 - Nicole Jones
NCES District ID 5103240 [1]
Students and staff
Students28,225 (2020–2021) [1]
Teachers1,525.26 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Staff1,489.33 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Student–teacher ratio18.51:1 [1]
Other information
Website www.rvaschools.net

Richmond Public Schools is a public school district located in the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It is occasionally described locally as Richmond City Public Schools to emphasize its connection to the independent city rather than the Richmond-Petersburg region at large or the rural Richmond County, Virginia.

Contents

Administration

Superintendent

The superintendent is Jason Kamras, who was also the 2005 United States National Teacher of the Year. [2]

School board members

The school district is governed by an elected school board, with one member from each of nine districts. [3] [4] The current Members (2023) are:

1Elizabeth Doerr
2Mariah White
3Kenya Gibson
4Jonathan Young
5Stephanie Rizzi, Chair
6Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed
7Cheryl Burke, Vice Chair
8Dawn Page
9Nicole Jones

Schools

High schools

Armstrong High School

Richmond High School for the Arts

Huguenot High School

Thomas Jefferson High School

John Marshall High School

Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy

Middle schools

Albert Hill Middle School

Binford Middle School

Lucille M. Brown Middle School

Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School

River City Middle School

Thomas C. Boushall Middle School

Thomas H. Henderson Middle School

Elementary schools

Barack Obama Elementary School (formerly J. E. B. Stuart Elementary School) [16]

Bellevue Elementary School

Broad Rock Elementary School

Cardinal Elementary School

Chimborazo Elementary School

Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School

Fairfield Court Elementary School

G. H. Reid Elementary School

George Washington Carver Elementary School

Ginter Park Elementary School

Henry L. Marsh, III Elementary School

J.B. Fisher Elementary School

James H. Blackwell Elementary School

J. L. Francis Elementary School

John B. Cary Elementary School

Linwood Holton Elementary School

Mary Munford Elementary School (formerly PBS Kids Mary Munford until 2013).

Miles Jones Elementary School

Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School

Overby-Sheppard Elementary School

Southampton Elementary School

Swansboro Elementary School

Westover Hills Elementary School

William Fox Elementary School

Woodville Elementary School


Alternative high schools

History

Richmond did not have public schools during much of the 19th century, only private institutions funded by user fees or charities. From 1906 until 1962, the city of Richmond segregated its public schools by race, and schools serving African American Virginians received less funding and poorer facilities, which led in part to the U.S. Supreme Court's two decisions in Brown v. Board of Education in beginning in 1954. Defiance of those decisions by the Commonwealth of Virginia led to the Massive Resistance crisis in the state which lasted more than a decade. One of the people involved in eventual peaceful desegregation of Richmond's public schools was Eleanor P. Sheppard, who began her public involvement with the Parent-Teacher Association of her children's school in the Ginter Park neighborhood. In 1954, "Mrs. Sheppard" became the first woman elected to the Richmond City Council, and she became the city's first female mayor in 1962, and served in the Virginia General Assembly for a decade. The Richmond School Board acknowledged the crisis in part by naming an elementary school to honor her and one of the school district's first principals of African American descent, Overby-Sheppard Elementary School.

The Richmond school district partly resolved the Massive Resistance crisis in its jurisdiction by eliminating racial terminology from this school district's official reports in 1962. [50] Another important person in resolving the crisis was Virginia native and Richmond lawyer Lewis F. Powell Jr., who served as Chairman of the Richmond School Board from 1952 until 1961. Powell did not take any part in his law firm's representation of Prince Edward County, Virginia in Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County , which became one of the five cases decided under the caption Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The Richmond School Board also lacked authority at the time to force integration, since beginning in 1958, the state government assumed control over attendance policies. Powell later became president of the American Bar Association and an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Academic struggles and improvements

In October 2009, the Richmond Times-Dispatch printed an editorial entitled "Dropping In," briefly outlining a program meant to reduce the number of high school dropouts in Richmond's public school system. [51] In this article it was revealed that Richmond's dropout rate was "hovering around 15 percent". [51] It was also stated on the Richmond Public Schools' website that the four-year-cohort dropout rate was 14.8 percent for the 2005-2009 cohort, declined from its 16.2 percent rate for 2004–2008. [52]

While the percentage is declining, dropout and late graduation rates are still an issue. In October 2009 in a News Release about Richmond Public Schools, it is stated that "the latest data for students in the 2005-2009 cohort indicate that nearly 69 percent (68.7) of Richmond's students graduated on time." This is an increase from the 2004-2008 cohort rate of 65.8 percent and it is well below the state average of 83.2 percent. [53]

Dropout Prevention Initiative

While high dropout rates in the school system are a problem, positive action is being taken, as of 2009. On October 21, 2009, the superintendent of Richmond City Public Schools, Yvonne W. Brandon, unveiled a plan called "Dropout Prevention Initiative" (DPI). The objective of this program is to continue to decrease the school system's dropout rate. [54]

There are a few objectives to the DPI. The first is to find high school dropouts and convince them to return to high school to graduate through mentoring programs, Individual Learning Plans (ILP), and partnerships with others in the community. These "others" include higher education institutions, elected officials, as well faith-based and community-based organizations. One of the most appealing aspects of the DPI is that it requires no additional funding and is solely a redistribution of resources. [54]

There is a district-wide mentoring program as a part of DPI that encourages Richmond Public Schools employees and students to serve as mentors once the recovered students return to school. There are also mentors provided by the higher educational institutions and the faith- and community-based organizations with which the DPI has partnerships. [55]

A unique aspect of this program is that recovery specialists within the DPI literally walk door-to-door to the homes of students who have dropped out to talk with them about and encourage the possibility of returning to school. Students returning to school are assisted by the DPI Intake Counselors, who work with recovered students to help the student re-adjust to being in school and receive an ILP. The ILP is, as stated by the Richmond Public Schools website, "an online educational plan for students that helps pair students' career goals with academic and career and technical courses needed to accomplish their future interests". [55]

The program also recognizes at-risk students and works on preventing student dropouts, rather than only trying to reverse it. Richmond Public Schools have implemented "Extensive Mandatory Professional Development" for staff on how to effectively identify and help at-risk students. There is also a new "Get In – Stay in" media campaign on the radio and television to help encourage attendance among students. [55]

Related Research Articles

The Beaverton School District is a school district in and around Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It serves students throughout Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and unincorporated neighborhoods of Portland, OR. The Beaverton Elementary School District 48 was established in 1876, with other elementary districts later merged into the district. The elementary district was later merged with the high school district (10J) to create a unified school district. It is the third-largest school district in the state, with an enrollment of 39,180 students as of 2022. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district had a total budget of $622.8 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eanes Independent School District</span> School district in Texas

Eanes Independent School District (EISD) is a school district headquartered in unincorporated Travis County, Texas (USA), in Greater Austin. Its enrollment is about 7,814 students, distributed among six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. All nine schools are rated Exemplary - the highest designation possible - in the State of Texas 2009 accountability ratings, marking the second consecutive year for that accomplishment. The district's overall state is Exemplary, making Eanes ISD one of just two 5A districts in the state to receive that designation in 2009. Only 9.5 percent of districts statewide are rated exemplary. See the bottom of this page for more information about TEA accountability ratings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westbury High School (Houston)</span> High school in Brays Oaks, Texas

Westbury High School is a secondary school located in the Brays Oaks, of Southwest Houston, Texas, near the Westbury neighborhood. It has grades 9 through 12, and is part of the Houston Independent School District. In 2019, Jerri Nixon succeeded Susan Monaghan as principal, who had retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayzata Public Schools</span>

Wayzata Public Schools is a public school district in the northwestern area of Hennepin County, Minnesota, U.S. serving all or part of the cities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesterfield County Public Schools</span> School district in Virginia, USA

Chesterfield County Public Schools is the public school system of Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. As of 2020, there are about 64,000 students enrolled in 66 schools. There are 40 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 10 high schools. Additionally, high school students can enroll in 13 specialty centers, two technical centers, one career academy, and two Governor's Schools.

The Washoe County School District (WCSD) is a public school district providing public education to students in all parts of Washoe County, Nevada, including the cities of Reno and Sparks, and the unincorporated communities of Verdi, Incline Village, Sun Valley and Gerlach. The Washoe County School District is the second largest school district in Nevada with approximately 64,000 students enrolled in 96 schools.

Manassas City Public Schools is a school division that serves the city of Manassas, Virginia, United States.

Arlington Public Schools is a public school division in Arlington County, Virginia. In 2019, student enrollment was 28,020 students, with students coming from more than 146 countries. In 2015, there were 2,166 teachers. There are 24 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 4 high schools, 1 secondary institution and 4 other educational programs within the school district.

The Orchard Farm School District is a public school district in St. Charles County, Missouri that was formed on February 14, 1959. The schools in the Orchard Farm and Portage Des Sioux area decided to come together and form one district. There are three schools on the Orchard Farm campus.An additional school is located north of Highway 370 in St. Charles, Missouri. In August 2016, the Early Learning Center opened and now serves approximately 150 preschool students. The school district serves approximately 2,100 students in St. Charles, West Alton, and Portage Des Sioux. The school mascot is an eagle and the school colors are green and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingfield High School</span> School in Jackson, Hinds, Mississippi, United States

Wingfield High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson Public School District. Almost 900 children from southern Jackson attend Wingfield High School in grades 9–12, as well as over 70 administration and staff. The principal of is Roderick Smith.

Spotsylvania County Public Schools is a public school district serving Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It consists of 17 Elementary, 7 Middle, and 5 High Schools and has a total enrollment of nearly 24,000 students. The Spotsylvania County School division also has a Career and Technical Center and participates with other local school systems to offer the Commonwealth Governor's School. The district partners with area businesses to develop learning opportunities for the students. Spotsylvania County Public Schools works with the area Parks and Recreation Department to help maintain the area around the Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Public Schools</span>

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) or Special School District Number 1 is a public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Schools enrolls 36,370 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers about one hundred public schools including forty-five elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools, eight special education schools, eight alternative schools, nineteen contract alternative schools, and five charter schools. With authority granted by the state legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansfield Legacy High School</span> Public, co-ed school in Mansfield, Tarrant County, Texas, United States

Mansfield Legacy High School is a public secondary school located in Mansfield, Texas, United States.

New Prairie United School Corporation operates five schools in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminole County Public Schools</span> School district in Florida

Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) is a public school district that covers Seminole County, Florida. As of September 2006, the total district wide enrollment was 66,351 students.

Stafford County Public Schools is a Virginia school division that serves the Stafford County Area. Its current superintendent is Thomas Taylor and has 30,086 students currently enrolled in its 17 elementary schools, 8 middle schools and 6 high schools. A 6th high school will be completed by August 2026.

Eleanor Parker Sheppard was an American civic activist and Democratic politician who became the first woman to be elected to the city council of Richmond, Virginia, and later became her adopted city's first female mayor, then represented its citizens in the Virginia General Assembly for a decade. She helped create Virginia Commonwealth University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond County Public Schools</span> School district in Virginia

Richmond County Public Schools (RCPS), the K–12 public school district in Richmond County, Virginia, serves about 1300 total students. It operates three schools: Richmond County Elementary-Middle school, Rappahannock High School, and Mackey-Thompson Learning Center.

King George County Schools is a school division that serves students in King George County, Virginia. The district administers 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for RICHMOND CITY PBLC SCHS". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Superintendent - Richmond Public Schools". www.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Tom Nash (Budget) • MuckRock". www.muckrock.com. p. 2. Retrieved September 5, 2020. School Board Members (group photo on page 2- bottom right)
  4. ↑ "School Board Members - Richmond Public Schools". www.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Principal - Armstrong High School". ahs.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Leadership - Huguenot High School". hhs.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Principals Message - Thomas Jefferson High School". tjhs.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Leadership - John Marshall High School". jmhs.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Leadership - Albert Hill Middle School". ahms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Leadership - Binford Middle School". bms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Leadership - Lucille M. Brown Middle School". lbms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Leadership - Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School". mlkms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Leadership - River City Middle School". rcms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Leadership - Thomas C. Boushall Middle School". tcbms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Leadership - Thomas H. Henderson Middle School". hms.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Virginia School Drops Confederate General's Name in Favor of Obama's" . Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Leadership - Barack Obama Elementary School". boes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Leadership - Bellevue Elementary School". bes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Leadership - Broad Rock Elementary School". bres.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Leadership - Cardinal Elementary School". cardinales.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Meet the Administration - Chimborazo Elementary School". ces.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Leadership - Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School". edres.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  23. ↑ "About Us - Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School". edres.rvaschools.net. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Leadership - Fairfield Court Elementary School". fces.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Leadership - G.H. Reid Elementary School". gres.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  26. ↑ "G. H. Reid History - G.H. Reid Elementary School". gres.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Leadership - George W. Carver Elementary School". gwces.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Leadership - Ginter Park Elementary School". gpes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Leadership - Henry L. Marsh, III Elementary School". hmes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Leadership - J.B. Fisher Elementary School". jbfes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Leadership - J.H. Blackwell Elementary School". blackwelles.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  32. ↑ "About Blackwell / History". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  33. ↑ "Leadership - J.L. Francis Elementary School". jlfes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  34. ↑ "About Francis / History". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  35. ↑ "Leadership - John B. Cary Elementary School". jces.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Leadership - Linwood Holton Elementary School". lhes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  37. ↑ "About Holton / History". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  38. ↑ "Leadership - Mary Munford Elementary School". mmes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  39. ↑ "About Munford / Who was Mary Munford?". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  40. ↑ "Leadership - Miles J. Jones Elementary School". mjes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  41. ↑ "About Miles Jones / History". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  42. ↑ "Leadership - Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School". ogbes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Overby-Sheppard Elementary". Virginia School Quality Profiles. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  44. ↑ "About Overby-Sheppard / About Overby-Sheppard". http. Retrieved July 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  45. ↑ "Leadership - Southampton Elementary School". shes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  46. ↑ "Leadership - Swansboro Elementary School". ses.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  47. ↑ "Leadership - Westover Hills Elementary School". whes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Leadership - William Fox Elementary School". wfes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  49. ↑ "Leadership - Woodville Elementary School". wes.rvaschools.net. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  50. ↑ "RPS History / Annexation of Schools". http. Retrieved July 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  51. 1 2 Dropping In. (2009, October 23). Richmond Times Dispatch , pp. A-10.
  52. ↑ Richmond Public Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://richmond.k12.va.us: http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/indexnew/sub/DPI/fastFacts.cfm
  53. ↑ Brandon, D. Y. (2009, October 20). NR26_OnTimeGraduation_10202009.pdf. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.richmond.k12.va.us: http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/pdfs/NR/NR26_OnTimeGraduation_10202009.pdf
  54. 1 2 Slayton, J. (2009, October 22). Richmond targets school dropouts; Superintendent unveils plan to get students back into their classes. Richmond Times Dispatch , pp. B-02.
  55. 1 2 3 Richmond Public Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://richmond.k12.va.us: http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/indexnew/sub/DPI/index.cfm

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.