Endeavor Elementary School

I have one child who has been at Endeavor for four years now. We have been very pleased with the school. I really do not understand the complaints about "the rules" and the lack of parental volunteer opportunities. In life, we have rules. They ensure order and safety and without a set of behavioral guidelines, teachers cannot do their jobs properly. We have never found the rules to be overly strict or unfairly enforced. Secondly, I have taken many opportunities to volunteer, whether it be reading to the class helping with class functions or just making copies and helping the teachers. The bottom line is no school is perfect, but this really is one of the best in the area. My son has been involved with four regular education teachers, one special needs teacher and numerous support staff and they have all been very friendly and helpful. I have always had excellent communication with the teachers and staff and they have been a very big part of his academic success. Bottom Line: You will get out of this school what you put in! Excellent school!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I totally agree with the comments about the school missing the mark with math and science. My son is in 1st grade and the teacher constantly complaint about everything and anything he does, I swear sometimes he is in bootcamp. I am confuse about the claim of each child will progress as they go but in first grade the teacher press the kids to test on third and fourth grade reading material. My son was reading before he went to endeavor and doing math on a first grade level, but the teacher is so bent on AR, the rest of areas go lacking. We asked his teacher to come to school on several occassions to help out with class activities and was told we can't, funny when there motto is parents and teachers working together. We are really considering home schooling our kids or sending them to private school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am discouraged to see others label this school as 'teacher centric' versus 'student centric' in a negative light. I am a substitute in the Huntsville area for all 3 districts. Endeavor has been the best school that I have subbed for because of its rules, procedures, and positive teachers. I have dealt with more discipline problems in Madison city schools because the students are not taught to be responsible for their actions and issues are simply swept under the rug to maintain an 'image'. As an educator, I believe that 80 percent of my ability to teach is the ability to manage a classroom. This is the single most important factor in student learning. I would say that Endeavor is well managed versus teacher centric. And the 4th and 5th graders do get a mandatory 30 minutes of PE a day. They are not being disserviced by not having recess.

My son is in the fifth grade and each class actually has 26 students per teacher which was a huge concern. This is his first year and is slowly adjusting. Another policy that I would have liked to know before moving here would be no regular Recess in 4th and 5th grade. It is on a reward basis in which if the accomplish their reading goals they get a recess on Friday for a reward. I think kids at that age still need that fun time after lunch. Other than that I haven't noticed many extracurricular activities. It is a beautiful school and well maintained. The teachers are online and check emails through out the day and typically respond If your child is in a smaller hands on school(as mine was) it can be quite an adjustment. My son was well liked but this school seems difficult for friends.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is forced to read a fluency passage every night to meet a benchmark of 40 words a minute. She is given a test grade on it. Sometimes she makes it and sometimes she does not. She cries and cries and just wants to read her AR books. We save those for the weekend. The teacher says she is forced to do that by the reading coach. My sister has a child at Central in the same system and they do not do that there. We are thinking about selling our house and moving to the other side of the county. I never see the principal but the new assistant is a very nice to my child and me.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child has been going here for four years. I must agree with the numerous posts regarding it being teacher-centric. They have created so many 'rules', it's gotten to the point of ridiculousness. There is a lack of communication between the staff and parents. Our child is a straight-A student, and while I can say I'm proud of that, I still see no challenges to develop math and science skills. There is a huge effort at this school to encourage the kids to reach their AR (Reading) goals. And while it is nice to have parties, rewards and prizes for acheiving the reading goals, there is no effort to do the same for those acheiving high scores in math or science. I just think it's a shame that the focus can't be better managed. And this is one of the better schools in the area...
--Submitted by a parent

This is my child's second year at Endeavor and I have been very happy with the school and the faculty and staff I had encountered. The students seem to thrive under the 'rules'. I have been impressed with how the children are taught to be orderly and responsible. There are many opportunities for parents to get involved if they try. There are volunteer needs at the school every day of the week - especially with tutoring and working in the clinic. The school may have a lot of students, but it has a small school feel to it.
--Submitted by a parent

2005/2006 School Year at Endeavor for my 2nd Grader: - Poorly Administered - Poor Leadership - Chaos - Teachercentric instead of Studentcentric - Test Score Driven instead of instruction driven - Pathetic Communication between Faculty and Parents - Disorganized - Clean, Neat, and Polished
--Submitted by a parent

I had two children in Endeavor this year, one a special needs student. My other has been there since 1st, and is going into 3rd. We haven't had a single bad experience. I have no doubt that there will be many differing opinions with such a large school, but the teachers have always been approachable and concerned with any of our concerns. I am able to email our teachers, always with a prompt response, and we appreciate the school newsletters. I haven't had the circumstance to have to communicate with the principal, but was able to witness her in action with a concerned parent in the front lobby one afternoon and was impressed with how she handled herself and resolved the problem. Though I feel there should be more volunteer opportunities, I am looking forward to the next 7 years.
--Submitted by a parent

I have one child that attended Endeavor from the year it opened and one who is still there. It is a very good school overall. As with all schools there are teachers ranging from OK to fantastic. I like the fact that rules are in place and the children are required to abide by them. The only complaint I have about Endeavor is the lack of recess time for fourth and fifth grades. Kids need time outside to burn off excess energy and have time to socialize. I don't believe that recess should be linked to Accelerated Reader (AR) scores. My daughter doesn't get recess if her AR score is not on target for the week.
--Submitted by a parent