Research Ravena Middle School Public Schools in Albany, New York

“my son attend pbc and i ahve found that many of the teachers and counslers we came to meet ahve a degree of caring i ahve not seen before anywhere”

“The principal at RCS Middle School maintains very low standards for student behavior. Many offenses, though acknowledged, go unpunished. It is not a safe, well-disciplined environment as both aides and administrators tend to 'look the other way' rather than dealing with serious behavior problems. There is most certainly not a culture of achievement maintained in this school. However, we did feel the majority of the teachers were excellent in many respects, especially knowledge of their subject matter and classroom management.”

“My child has attended this school since 5th grade and now has her third principal. Despite the frequent turnover in this position she has done very well - scoring well on national tests. The interest level of the teaching staff is variable. She has had fabulous teachers who take an interest in their students and give 100% as well as teachers who appear to be putting their time in until retirement or until something else comes along. Sadly, perhaps due to the turnover in building leadership, this school has lost some of the great teachers to other school districts. Our hope is that with a new superintendant on board we will locate a principle who wants to stay and build on the existing fine faculty while weeding out the few who simply put their time in. This school district is poised to excel given support from the community and continuity of the administration.”