Carlton Elementary School

I have been an involved parent at Carlton for 7 years now. I have also taught elementary school for over 16 years. Yes, our school has a newer principal with a different leadership style. In my 16 years of education I have had 5 principals. Each one of them brought something new to our school. It is sometimes hard for parents and teachers to adjust to the changes and it takes time to be open minded about the new ideas. I believe Carlton still has a tremendous staff that is being led by a good leader. When I have had a concern or an opinion, I have always felt I could express these feeling to the principal. In the end, I am pleased that my children are learning, happy and have had wonderful teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I must totally agree with the previous reviewer regarding the new principal. I'd like to see the district solicit in-depth feedback from parents and teachers, and take necessary action before the wonderful culture and quality of this school is lost.
—Submitted by a parent

This is not a great school... It's a FABULOUS school. I currently have two children at Carlton Avenue School and they are flourishing as individuals and they are extremely happy ... i believe that if kids and ( (parents)are happy they will grow through learning in a positive environment. I see Carlton Avenue School as a positive environment. I personally have had reason to deal with the new principal and I have found her very approachable, professional and a caring individual .
—Submitted by a parent

It's important to remember that Carlton Avenue school has been under new leadership since August 2011. The school has an actively involved parent community. Most teachers are top-notch. So the very good test scores and other positive attributes of the school mostly reflect legacy programs and leadership, and not the current reigning leader. I would like to see the Union School district solicit in-depth feedback from parents and teachers specifically regarding the current leadership at Carlton Avenue School. It has been two years in this top-level role. Word around the community and from our family's personal experience suggests that the current leadership is failing; it seems essential to investigate further and see where there is room for improvement. The general district survey does not allow for comments and does not get specific enough to provide the district with any helpful insight. On a side note, there are bright spots: The ever-smiling and helpful front office administrative assistant and the PE coach are two wonderful and caring individuals.
—Submitted by a parent

The community is great and the school works well for most students. I have noticed that students that are below grade level receive extra help and students that are above grade level are pushed. However there are many students that are just average and trying to get extra help for a student that is average or struggling in one subject is impossible. The teachers focus on that they are meeting the academic level, but I believe we should be helping these kids achieve as well. If you have a student that behaves well and gets okay grades the school lets them be mediocre.
—Submitted by a parent

Although we enrolled in 4th grade, we were thrilled with the superb educational opportunities from this, our local public, school. The teachers were far more educated about teaching the whole child. My "out of the box" son is appreciated instead of benched every day. The administration is unified and consistent. All staff is great at communication. Our previous private school could not and would not provide advanced curriculum and Carlton had many programs already in place. I wish my daughter had benefitted from this school. In addition to the staff, the parents and school community is welcoming and full of parent involvement. Carlton is a fantastic educational community!
—Submitted by a parent

My children attended Carlton from Kinder through 5. They, and I, LOVED their experience there! Carlton, and the Principal, foster a safe, nurturing environment where all students are encouraged to grow to their full potential. My son is well above grade level in all subjects but was offered many advanced and excelerated options so was never bored. The school is a 'Bully Free Zone' and takes that very seriously with Monthly Anti-Bullying classes for each grade level as well as lots of playground supervision. There is tutoring in Math and Reading in all grades as well as before school help for those that are below grade level. I am shocked that anyone would rate Carlton anything less than "Excellent" and can only assume that there was some extreme situation with their child that they didn't like but I never once had any of my questions or concerns disregarded by teachers, staff or the Principal.
—Submitted by a parent

Carlton is a great school with a caring community. The teachers are dedicated and very involved with their students. The new principal is hands on and has maintained excellent programs and implemented many new ones.
—Submitted by a teacher

I used to work here. The teachers were excellent, the leadership was perfect, the parents helpful, secretary couldn't have been better, students were fantastic...great people all around. Wonderful community.
—Submitted by a teacher

I agree with the other reviewer that "bright students are being pushed to conform" and would apply that especially to active young boys. I saw bright, intelligent, creative, imaginative boys being put on behavior improvement plans (w/entire days spent in the principal's office); one day those boys will shine in ways that aren't yet appreciated.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent community support,dedicated teachers, and an accessible principal. We are very happy with the level of support and great programs this school provides. The new principal takes the time to create solutions and strategies to help struggling students and the office staff is friendly. Great school.
—Submitted by a parent

The new principal has a strict "don't bother me" policy. The teachers and students are being bullied behind the scenes and the principal has little to no respect for either. Students with learning differences are being pushed to change schools and bright students are being pushed to conform. Minorities now receive even less respect than they did before and, what was a fairly decent school for those who followed the straight and narrow, "normal" path is now becoming a progressively difficult place to function as a human being who occasionally makes mistakes.
—Submitted by a parent

The success of this school is attributed to both the teachers, parents and staff who have developed a system that focuses on tapping into a child's motivation to achieve. The one major fund-raising event organized by the Home and School Club is such that is able to provide for other school programs (i.e. Music, Reading, Physical Education) that have been cut due to budgetary constraints. The tight-knit community at this school fosters and encourages involvement without the social pressure. There is a good mix of ethnic diversity at this school and the children learn anti-bullying skills that prepare them for middle school. Also, the STAR Testing scores are in the mid 900s!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are very dedicated and talented. They strive to bring out the best in each student. This opinion is based on 4 years experience as a parent of a Carlton student. Being a former high school teacher, I know that it can be a challenge to motivate students since each student has their own interests, talents and learning modalities, for example. Carlton has a new principal this year (2011) and I have not had enough interaction with her to rate her leadership at this time.
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest is only in first grade, but I have been favorably impressed with our experience at Carlton so far. There is a portion of the parents who are actively involved, and plenty of opportunity for others to become involved. The atmosphere on campus is safe, supportive, and encouraging. The teachers and staff do a great job of instilling a love of learning and encouraging students to participate thoroughly in their educational opportunities. We have considered private schools as well as moving to neighboring districts and have concluded that we can't do appreciably better.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids attending Carlton and have been very pleased with the teachers as well as the academics. The teachers have really partnered with me if I have things I need to work on with my kids in very postive ways. I have sensed a general commodore amongst the staff as well as the teachers genuinely enjoying the kids and what they do. In addition I have been very impressed with parental involvement as well as it being a very welcoming place and easy to get connected.
—Submitted by a parent

While I can't disagree with many of the comments below - I can say that the experience for my family has been different. It is difficult to say but I believe it is because we are not caucasian . The community as a whole is quite homogenous and not as open as you would expect - in the bay area. Attitudes of the parents range from indifference to un-inclusive towards the kids. The books in the classroom where race is the theme - have the tone of condescending superiority. Topics like civil rights are taught - from a very specific perspective. These things have the effect of alienating the children (those from a visible minority) and putting more of a divide where there shouldn't be. The teachers and the principal were uncomfortable to discuss this and did not want to take any steps to improve the situation.
—Submitted by a parent

The education at this school is excellent and the students and teachers are very nice.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Carlton Avenue since August 2005. I can't say enough about how great the school is. The parents and teachers are great, Ms. Ito is totally awesome. The school helps promote a community environment for the parents, children and teachers. Thank you. I look forward to many more happy years there.
—Submitted by a parent

While I do think the teachers are wonderful, I have been disappointed in the academics. They do help those who are behind or need extra support, they do nothing to meet the needs of those students who are ahead or need to be challenged. I have spent so much of my own time supplementing in basic areas such as english and math. I believe that the state standards are too low which is not Carlton's fault. However I think each child's needs should be met, not just those who are behind.
—Submitted by a parent