Kathryn D. Markley El School

Great school! I'm very confused why people think the school has gone downhill after Mrs. Pennyman left. I have only had her for approximately 1-2 years. (I'm a 7th-grade student right now). As much as the experience with having Miss Morris, it's been great. As much as I would like to have Mrs. Pennyman over Miss. Morris as a teacher, there is really nothing wrong Mrs. Morris. Maybe she doesn't enforce a rule enough. This isn't Miss. Morris' fault. The parent should be the one keeping their child under control. As for special needs, I cannot necessarily say my part, as I'm not someone who really needs to deal with a special needs student. ( I have helped autistic kids with their work). I did not actually go into the special needs room, mostly because it wasn't my need to go into the room. But, you should not be mad at the special needs teacher, as they might not be able to enforce a rule on a special needs student. Special needs students have their own level of learning, whether they have severe autism or not.

This is our first year at K D Markley and I love this school and most of all Ms. Gorr.Staff is great and has helped me whenever I needed.Principal is very nice and you can see her around the school all the time.My daughter was going to Collegium next year full time but I've decided that she can get more in 2.5 hours with 16 classmates than full time with almost 30.

The Principal, Mrs. Morris, is amazing--so enthusiastic and involved in making sure every child has a great experience. Organized and efficient, but very friendly. Faculty is fantastic, very nice to the kids but also keep them interested, on task and motivated. We had our kids in an excellent private school before moving here, but the quality of education at KDM is easily as good, and in some ways, better.

I have also dealt with both current and former principals, and I agree that Morris is ill equipped to handle the concerns of parents. I find her dismissive and unapproachable. I'm a parent with a strong parent network and know that this feeling is shared among others. Her demeanor is worrisome and disappointing, especially in contrast with a formidable leader like Dr. Pennyman. As far as the teacher quality, I would say that the more experienced teachers are decent, but nothing special. I think the teachers fall short in meeting the needs of students who have learning differences. They speak a good game at IEP meetings about learning objectives and interventions, but fall short in personalizing students' academic/social needs. I recognize that this is not easy to do in a public school setting and therefore, I maintain, there is nothing special about the this school. In sum, the "good" kid who learns well and doesn't have behavioral issues will be fine in this ordinary place.