Challenger - Strawberry Park School

Very rigid management techniques with the belief that the school is always right. The teachers and management do not follow the very principles of honesty and integrity they are trying to teach the students. Baring the few dedicated teachers most are dictators and use intimidation techniques to control the classroom and the management backs them up. The school seems to have the policy of overloading the students with homework, tests(average of 6 per week) and book reports(2 per month) with no emphasis on the all round development of the child. Highest rate of students leaving mid way because they did not make the 75% for their so called academic standard. Definitely not a school if you want you child to be a well rounded and successful adult!
—Submitted by a parent

Horrible Headmaster - Julie Blackwell In the very same handout that bears her name, it asks parents "Please be patient the first week of school as parents new to Challenger learn the routine". Yet, on the third day of a new school year, she is heard outside at the drop-off area, yelling at and demanding pre-K parents that only drive-through is allowed. She is simply being unreasonable about parents' unknowing mistake of wanting to walk their kids to class and maybe have a quick chat with the teachers to make sure everything is OK. Did I indicate that these are pre-K parents who are sending their kids off the very first time? She may be successful, but so is DSK (Dominique Strauss-Kahn) - head of IMF. Challenger may be strong academically, however, it fails to teach kids moral value and common decency. As an educator and example to the kids, her behavior is shameful.
—Submitted by a parent

Please don't send your kid here. This is a terrible school for preschoolers. They have strict schedule for teachers to follow. It is more like an army-camp than a school. Creativity is not appreciated here.
—Submitted by a parent

Terrible preschool teachers. They don't care about the childs needs. Can't understand how preschoolers think. They've got a f**ng schedule to follow and thats all that matters. Dealing with preschoolers requires a level of maturity which they don't even recognize.
—Submitted by a parent

If all you care is about academic, then this is the school for you. I sent my daughter to this school and one day i got a phone call from school to pick her up because she was not learning in the class. This really confuses me... I was not sure why i am paying expensive tuition to the school and i have to worry about she is not learning. This is suppose to be teachers' job to encourage and stimulate the kids' learning at school!. The reason i got was that her slower study will affect progress of other kids. This really shock me how this school is ran. I raised this issue to the school master and got ignored. I withdraw her from this school at the same day and register at local public school where she is happier and learning more than ever. This is a terrible.
—Submitted by a parent

Good neighborhood, preschool program is great, administration and middle school not so much. As a preschool, a good, if expensive, choice.

Challenger School has a wonderful preschool program. My daughter is having fun learning there every day. She is one of the first students to come to school and does not want to leave at the end of the day. She has learned many things there: insects, space, dinosaurs. She reads and writes with joy. There are plenty of opportunities for her to show her creativity, she brings art projects home every day. Teachers are nice and friendly. Challenger school provides their own training for their teachers and they teach according to Challenger philosophy.
—Submitted by a parent

Where do I begin? Some teachers are very friendly and fun to be with, but most are rude and strict. My kindergarden son is scared of both his teachers. That is not the relationship I want to see developing between him and his teachers. My son, after 1 year, is no longer going there. It is more of a one-way teaching from teachers to students. My son, who loves to ask questions at home, rarely gets to question at school. I feel sad watching him doing math and reading all day in classroom.
—Submitted by a parent

I had my kids in this school for seven years. They probably are more senior than any faculty in the school! Highest turnover of teachers and staff, some leaving mid way through the school year. Very rigid management style. Do not take any inputs from parents or students. Seem to have a philosophy that overloading the kids with assignments and homework is an acceptable alternative to classroom teaching.

The teachers are not well trained, the management ( espeically the Director) doesn't take feedback from parents (instead they penalize folks who give feedback). Overall we are quite unhappy and going to remove our over-achieving kid from this school.
—Submitted by a parent

In-experienced teachers. High turnover. No speciality teaching. Very rigid/rude administration who doesn't like to take any feedback. Don't know how to truly challenge/motivate kids who are well ahead of the curve.
—Submitted by a parent

Most of the teachers in Pre-school and Pre-K lack the basic knowledge of how to deal with children. They treat and expect the kids to be puppets with no personalities .... Some of the teachers are very rude to the parents and to the students. Management is not good at taking feedback from parents and making changes or correcting the teachers. Please avoid this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Great staff! Leadership and curriculum does not allow for freedom of expression for the students and parents. My kid is of pre-school age and I felt that the school program and policies does not encourage development of creative thinking. It's a good place to learn reading and counting but I was expecting the curriculum to encourage right brain development as well. For example, the art artifacts are usually copies of what the teacher examples. Leadership also does not encourage flexibility in curriculum. For example, for Halloween, the school had only 1 activity and there was no alternative for children who did not want to participate. It's a popular school but I am seriously thinking of taking my child out of that environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter went to this school. By 4th and 5th grade the curriculum levels at par with public schools. Attitude of principal is bad. Teachers offload responsibility to parents if kids are not doing well. Does not inspire self-learning. You are better off sending your kids to good public schools.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids go to preschool and I am happy with their program
—Submitted by a parent