Gerald F. Litel Elementary School

A parent frustrated by the antiquated learning and model out of date with current research that doesn’t use best practices.

This school has many amazing students and parents, but the staff and administration don't support pushing the students to be challenged in the classroom setting. For Open House, we had to do a project with my son and go see it at Open House. Parents are given more responsibilities than most schools in other districts. My son had two years of teachers that wanted kids to sit down and be quiet. Unfortunately, they don't understand that this is a different world we live in.

My kids and I absolutely love Litel Elementary. The administration and staff are genuinely caring and put kids first. My children feel comfortable and safe. I know that when I send my kids off to school they are in good hands. There are so many activities that make school interesting and fun aside from having a rigorous academic program. They have a game room for kids at lunch time where the kids earn their way in by being respectful and responsible in the classroom and on the playground. Our PTA works so hard to provide the school with the extras that kids need. The PTA sponsored activities are incredible and there is so much opportunity for parents to get involved. What I like the most is the family atmosphere that has been created at Litel. Everyone seems to know each other and the teachers look out for all kids and not just their own class. My kids feel so comfortable going up to any staff member including the janitor because they are so friendly and caring. Their office staff is so welcoming too. I love how they all pull together to make this an awesome school. This is truly a great school that offers a strong curriculum along with many extra curricular activities.

My son is in first grade and it is late October and his teacher is still trying to "settle in" to his class. Two months into the school year and his is the only class that has not spent time in the computer lab. He does not challenge the kids and does not modify his ciriculum to meet the different academic levels of the kids. Talked to the principal and she didn't seem to care. How do we let these teachers and principals teach and lead our schools? Furthermore, API scores dropped below 900 for this past year. This is a reflection of poor leadership at Litel and not holding teachers to a high level of academic achievement.