Pritzker Elementary School

All those glitters is not gold. Music, art, spanish, dance, and theatre for the children is a promise. Principal does not know how to run a school with foresight. There are severe problems that leak into the education. Ex: The school went 2 semesters without a Spanish teacher so the kids had Spanish scheduled and were not taught Spanish. After years of Spanish my child could not even say, "My name is __." in Spanish. Principal is very good at shifting blame. Spanish teachers fault. Teachers cannot teach because the school won't uphold a basic level of behavior standards. I have heard things like, "that is just a bad class" which, again, the blame is shifted. Since when does an administrator get to blame the kids for running things? Children's fault. Do not try to discuss anything with the principal, she is always "meeting a deadline" and expects your children to communicate school activities with you. She will criticize you when you go in to clarify the disturbing things that your child reports for taking the word of a child. This school is pushing hard to fill slots, so ask yourself, if it is such a great school, why do they have so many openings so often? I volunteered often Ed.
—Submitted by a parent

I am amazed by the bad reviews on this school and the disrepect towards the principal and staff. My son is in first grade and has had two outstanding teachers so far and Dr Reese, in my opinion, has the children's education foremost despite working for a nearly bankrupt school system, county and state. If you have things you would like to see improved then please volunteer at the school, I am on the PTO and we can barely get enoug officers to serve as a board. If you think you can improve the school please help. Edward Reagan Pritzker parent Edward Reagan Parent and PTO Treasurer
—Submitted by a parent

what hurts this school was the principal.in my time there i hated the principal because she couldn't think clearly.the kids were wild and disrespectful.the lunchroom was always loud.i would never visit that school again.

My child is in his 3rd year in the options program. Largely I have been impressed with the quality of the teachers, some are phenomenal. We had some issues with bullying, but I was vociferous about the issue and it is resolved. The school has an amazing fine arts program -- the music and dance programs are exceptional. The choice program is adequately challenging but yes, class sizes are large (32). There is a great group of dedicated parents who are making improvements and fundraising. The weak link is the administration, particularly the principal. Pritzker is poised for a renaissance, but it needs a visionary to build a strong coalition of parents and faculty, not just a "manager". My child is happy there and loves his teachers, but I do agree the administration tends to be "reactive", not "proactive. I believe this will change in the near term. In the meantime, other parents that I know whose children are there are very pleased with the school. Pritzker contains an "options" program, a magnet program and a neighborhood program. It is a very diverse community, which I find valuable.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very happy with the progress my kids ae making. I was a bit apprehensive when I had to split them in to both programs RGC/FineArts. The teachers have made all the difference and the administration worked hard after the strike to do more with less. Now that we have the recess aides things have gotten better. Lunchroom atmosphere could be better, but I can honestly say it was about the same 30 years ago when I was a kid. I highly recommend the school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughters first year here and at First i was very excited. I was looking forward to a rigurous curriculum and many after school activities to stimulate my child. She will be not attending this school next year.. One day she came home with a huge not on her head and the school failed to call me.. which is a huge laibility.. when i called the nurse she said that they had recorded my number being called but i carry my cell phone with me at all times and never received a call.. when i toldthe nurse that my daughter said that he did not even receive an ice pack but instead a wet paper towel to apply to her wound.. the nurse said " oh well thats because we are out..do you know how many kids get a injures a day"... are you serious.. also there was a boy who bullies my daughter and has ripped her luncg tray and thrown it away and etc.. when my daughter finally stood up to the bully because obviously the staff and monitors were unconcerened.. my daughter was given a wriiten misconduct...and yes sometimes the staff can be a bit rude..I pay so much to transport her to and from school and I am finding its not worth the extra stuggle...
—Submitted by a parent

My child had transfer to this school from a private school setting. Up too transferring him to this school he did exceptionally well. My child has lost interest in school and his teachers do not care to get it back. It took close to two months to get a meeting with his teachers. When I approached the school case manager she felt it was not her responsibility only the teachers. I didnt feel that I was supported by the staff at all. I feel its not fair for my child that here he has a parent that is very interested in his education and we were not getting the support we needed. May I add that I had to contact the assistant principle twice. Finally my child is getting back on track but I agree with a previous parent when your child is not in the gifted program it appears the average child does not get the support and they get lost in the system.
—Submitted by a parent

There is potential here but this school is far too uneven to receive high ratings. There are kids who do well here, but too many don't. For a gifted school, they are pretty bad at understanding truly gifted children. Kids who are smart, quiet and do fine with a lot of sitting/teacher lead instruction and testing will do fine. Everyone else... It's a roll of the dice. Administration is checked out, although that may improve as a few high profile parents put their children here. There is a dedicated and really wonderful group of parents who are a huge asset to the school, but their efforts are too often ignored or undermined by administration. We were here for two years before pulling our child out. The difference in this child in the new school is remarkable -a truly different and now happy and challenged child who is enjoying learning. The school may be on the upswing but it has a very long way to go and it's hard to justify having your child there while they figure it out or someone figures out how to get the LSC to do something about the principal. Now experiencing what a good school looks like at our new school I can definitely say you and do much, much better than Pritzker.
—Submitted by a parent

I am giving the school five stars but I am basing my rating on our child's class alone. We are lucky enough to have gotten into the RGC so the other students in our child's class create a challenging environment that our kid thrives in. The teachers have been hit or miss. Some of them have been great. The others have been lazy or just downright slow. But again it is tough for a child to do poorly when the class s full of bright kids. Now the worst part of attending Pritzker has got to be dealing with the principal and her staff. I have seen her bully parents, scream at entire classes of kids when one kid was doing something wrong. If you have ever attended an LSC meeting it is almost comical how much Dr Reese just ignores rules and does whatever she wants. It is just really horrible and there is nothing anyone can do about it as CPS has bigger problems than a bully principal. But then...how long will she really be there. Hopefully we get a new principal soon who installs an entirely new office staff. The current staff puts forward the least professional environment possible.
—Submitted by a parent

Every CPS School has challenges. True but If a child is being harassed by teachers due to a conflict with a parent, his/her educational needs are not being met. Visit the school...you will not see all those great things that the parent below described unless your child is in the gifted program. Pritzker School does not care about the below-average students. My daughter was humiliated two years ago at this school. I transferred her out and she is doing very well.
—Submitted by a parent

My family is entering it's 4th year at Pritzker and our teaching staff is excellent overall. A few examples: our music teacher recently completed her doctorate from Northwestern University -- our art teacher has an MFA from University of Chicago. Pritzker works hard to find ways to challenge students academically -- and integrates the arts into the core curriculum. A student's Fine and Performing Arts experience includes Art, Music, Dance, Drama, School Musicals and recently, a Visiting Artists program and Poetry have been added to the standard subjects. After and before school programs on campus have doubled this year! Many things make the school UNIQUE: A climbing wall in the gymnasium, Computer Labs/Internet Access, an Illinois Prairie & Fine Arts Garden, our On Site Pottery Kiln, a Library, Mobile iMac & iPad Computer Labs, a 400 seat Performing Arts Auditorium, a newly renovated Science Lab, a Festival of the Arts and a winning Stock Market Club. Every CPS school faces challenges. I am enthusiastic about the growing support Pritzker receives from the parent community and the Wicker Park neighborhood. Our potential is incredible.
—Submitted by a parent

My child was told for two years (7th Grade) that will not graduate from Pritzker School, I informed my son that the best option for him would be to transferred to another school. My son did not want to leave his friends. In 8th grade, one of my son's teacher told him that he needed to taught a lesson. My son was told in class by teachers that they were sick of me. I was disrespected on several levels. My son did not graduate on time. Maybe my story is an isolated incident but I think teachers should encourage not demean students. What compel me to write this post: My son was visiting some of his friends at Pritzker. One of his former "teachers" made this remark "I did not think that you were going to graduate from 8th grade. I told my son not to go near the school any more. the school is beautiful. The school has some wonderful teachers. Still one negative teacher can ruin a child's self-esteem. The school has valuable resources for students but if the principal do not curtail her staff's disrespect of students and parents, some students will not thrive academically. My son did not in 7th and 8th grade.

I would not send my child to Pritzker School. The staff is very uncaring if you are not part of the cliche. My child's academic needs were not met at te school. The administration can be rude sometimes about voicing your concerns.. the middle school programs need to be revamped to meet the mathematical needs of middle school students.
—Submitted by a parent

Very disappointed by Pritzker! The classrooms are packed... Can you imagine 32 5 year olds packed into small room with no air conditioning and no aid!! The teachers are ok but the worst part is the lack of support from the vice principle and principle! There is no lunch monitoring, lots of bullying, and they do not have enough people to monitor recess! I seriously feared for the safety of my child while she attended there! There is a definite lack of discipline within many of the classes and I honestly felt like the administration could have cared less and would lie/ get upset at any parent who spoke up.... If you care about your kid please do not send them to pritzker!
—Submitted by a parent

Pritzker is a great school!! If you would like to find out more and talk to a variety of parents...Join us for Popsicle Pop-Ins on Saturday July 21st from 10 to 11 and Saturday August 18th 10 to 11 on the school playground (Evergreen). We all work together to make it work.
—Submitted by a parent

I think the majority of the teachers at Pritzker are good teachers and care for their students. I can't say the same for the principal, assistant principal and front staff, there are bully situations that are taking place and have taken place and the front staff, discipline staff , and principal have handled it poorly. If this school wants to continue with such a good reputation I think that someone needs to go in and evaluate how things are being handled on a daily bases. I just hope that something can be done before another child is a victim of bulling and gets seriously hurt.
—Submitted by a parent

PRITZKER SCHOOL IS THE BEST! I have one child at this school who cannot say enough good things about all that is happening at Pritzker. The school has soooo much talent that they are having 2 theater productions this year: Fiddler on the Roof and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Hope to be here for a long time!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a 2011 class graduate and she misses the school. The teachers are fantastic . When she needed help/tutoring all her teachers were there for her. They have a strict no bullying policy to make sure your child is in safe environment. They have countless activities from rock climbing to dance. Pritzker brought the best out of my daughter and I am forever thankful. She graduated on honor roll and with fond memories at Pritzker.
—Submitted by a parent

Really fantastic. My daughter is in the options program and we expected a lot. Pritzker is delivering in spades. We moved in from the suburbs for a year before our daughter started school. We were going to move back out for better schools, but then we found this fantastic place.
—Submitted by a parent

This school covers it all. In the five years my daughter has been here, they have made great gains. The staff is young, beautiful (inside and out), strong, energetic, enthusiastic, competent, effective, communicative and much much more! Administration is strong and solid. Parental involvement is always present. The talent and opportunities are busting out of this school at the seams! From the moment you walk in you are captivated by the Art Institute art work, bulletin boards, announcements, and more. My child is very happy, I couldn't be happier and we hope to find a high school as good as Pritzker! There are so many options and opportunities for all...
—Submitted by a parent