Finally. New Charlottesville School Superintendent Rosa Atkins got to start her job on July 3, more than 14 months after the school board accepted the resignation of former superintendent Scottie Griffin. Atkins recently finished her duties as assistant superintendent in Caroline County. “It feels good to start full force in Charlottesville,” she says. In this edited interview, Atkins explains why she’s so fired up about learning.
C-VILLE: What are the most meaningful measures of student achievement?
Atkins: Improving student achievement is too vague. We have to say by what percentage, by what measure are we going to improve the achievement. Certainly the state uses SOL [Standards of Learning] test results—it is in our best interest to use the same measure.
Are there particular subjects specifically targeted for improvements?
Certainly at the high school, mathematics, based on last year’s SOL test scores. However, I’ve heard wonderful reports from teachers and other administrators that our mathematics scores at the high school will increase this year. Reading is going to be an area also. We can’t rest until every student is on grade level: We have to have 100 percent of our students reading at or above grade level for us to be satisfied.
How important is it to go to college?
Going to college is not the only avenue that a student can take in order to realize all the things that we want a student to realize after high school, such as being fully employed and able to buy a home for themselves and support a family.
Is student disrespect worse now than it once was?
Is disrespect in society worse? How a student behaves starts well before a student comes into schools, and we have to acknowledge that. It’s a community effort, not just a school effort.