Research Russell Byers Charter School charter Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“I have supported this school for the past two years as a community stakeholder and have witnessed remarkable growth in its leadership and quality of instruction. The 30 percent plus teacher turnover rate is unfortunate, although understandable as a charter school; there is not enough money to attract the creme of the crop. I believe the school's decision to replace instructors (the reason for over 50% of the teacher turnover rate) demonstrates their dedication to quality instruction. I wish the administration had more resources with which to attract the highest quality teachers. Afterall, this school has the happiest kids I have ever seen! At an elementary school level, should we rate a school on its students' excitement for learning or high test scores? How will we define a balance?”

“As a former teacher, I have seen firsthand the unprofessional behavior of some of the administrators. Parents, please be wary ab out the reasons given to explain why teachers left. The school has an incredibly high teacher turnover rate. This is not promising for any school. RBCS had had a serious issue with retaining teachers. The curriculum is confusing. Students are not taught full Social Studies or Science curriculums. Instead, the school uses the Expeditionary Learning curriculum. Your child will learn about one Science topic for 3 months and one Social Studies topic for 3 months. Children that transfer from public school have so much more knowledge of Social Studies and Science content that children that have only been at RBCS. It's unfortunate because it should be an excellent school. Parents, don't be fooled.”

“My family has been apart of the RBCS family since year 2 and this is the first year since the beginning that I am truly enthused about the growth of the school as a whole. Mr. El, the new principal, began the school year introducing himself to the families as we entered the building and really made us feel like we were apart of the puzzle. The parents seem happier and more willing to volunteer this year as well as the staff seems more at ease. Mr. El is always positive and reassuring to the students, staff, and families of RBCS and I look forward to many more years of him 'running' the school. With Mr. El's positive persona, I hope that the school's testing scores will raise.”

“My children have been attending Russell Byers for 3 years and we are on our third principal. I was considering changing my children's school because I was unhappy with the direction in which the school was heading but I must say that I am quite pleased with the school this year under Mr. El's direction. Our new principal is taking an active interest in our children which is much more than I can say about our two previous principals. I am hoping that we maintain our principal and teachers for the coming years because it is my belief that it will help us to become a stronger school. Parental Involvement at Russell Byers is amazing!! Our parents show they care not only about the education and safety of their own children but of all the students.”

“As a family of R.B.C.S. I think the school's goal is great! I think Mrs.Byers did a great job bringing forth her husbands dream and keeping it alive. But I hope the children will always be apart of that dream. With the major changes that the school is going through, again another principle (where's that strong leadership) my kid has been through 5 already,i think we can't keep track, there needs to be more leadership by the adults in school and then maybe the parents and kids will follow. Because the school in becoming a joke.”

“As of 6/2006, the school is going through a lot of changes- another new principal is on the way + about 30-50% of teachers are leaving for unknown reasons. While intentions are great, there is a huge question mark here as to whether the school is going to be able to provide the quality education it promises. Many parents are unhappy about a lack of communication from the administration about these issues and some are in the process of sending their kids to other schools.”

“The school is currently looking for a new principal, this will be the 3rd principal in the 4 years that my children have attended this school. The teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, and nurse are top notch when it comes to interacting with the children...making them feel right at home. More needs to be done academically to help build the poor test scores. A problem that is happening at most schools is children being passed a long although they are not meeting grade level expectations in reading and math, 2 of the areas that are evaluated in the testing. If the children are below grade level reading and do not have an IEP, they should not be passed and they should be required to attend summer school to help bring them up to speed. They need to also think about having an extended day program to assist these kids. Thanks.”

“Our child has attended RBCS for two years and we have been more than pleased with the school and its performance, as well as our daughter's academic progress. Each RBCS family is required to volunteer time during the school year (30 hrs), which ensures heavy parental involvement on all fronts. We have not had any problems with discipline or bad behavior, and through RBCS's 'Talk it Out' peace policy every effort is made for smooth strictly-verbal conflict resolution. We have maintained a solid, open rapport with teachers, administrators and staff. The student body is predominantly African-American (I'd hazard a guess at around 85%) and draws from all over Philadelphia, so you get a real cross-section of the city and its neighborhoods. Our daughter loves school so much says she never wants to leave RBCS. Very high praise indeed!”

“Execellent teachers, great academic program featuring 'Outward bound' program and many multicultural classes and activities. Very good parent involvement and small classroom sizes for a more individualized learning exeperience.”