Clifford E. Bryant Community School

Bryant has been a great school for my kids. The teachers are enthusiastic and the new principal has brought great new energy to the school. Our attendance boundary is so wide that we have students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and all cultures. I consider this a plus! I have heard that Bryant/Pattengill kids have the easiest transition to Tappan because due to the wide attendance boundary they already know so many more kids than students from other elementaries. My only complaint is a district wide one. They have plenty of programs to serve low performing kids but have nothing specific to offer kids above grade level. This means the quality of learning varies from teacher to teacher. I have talked to many friends at other schools and this complaint seems universal.
--Submitted by a parent

We send our daughter to this school and we thought because it is an Ann Arbor school it would have met up to our expectations. Well, that did not happen. I must say the teachers are very nice but the whole problem their is the principal. He is very burnt out and does not seem to care or take into consideration any of his students needs. Especially ones with learning disorders. He doesn't ever check his email and never returns phone calls. It took a week for him to call me back and his answer about a problem that I had was I can't do anything about it. He is very rude. He does not understand how important peoples children are to them. I was very unimpressed and am glad that my daughter will no longer be their next year. Good teachers. Terrible principal.
--Submitted by a parent

Nurturing school and wonderful education setting for K-2 graders. Warm teachers who care that children learn.
--Submitted by a parent

I believe Bryant is one of the best kept secrets in Ann Arbor. I love the way Bryant/Pattengill separates grades K-2 at Bryant and 3-5 at Pattengill; it allows each school to specialize in those age groups. The community is very diverse which gives my children comfortable exposure to different languages, cultures, abilities and income--a beautiful thing at this young age! There are 5-7 teachers for each grade which helps the school match each child with the teacher who fits your child best. We've had great teachers. Most go above and beyond the call of duty to offer creative, enriching experiences for kids of all abilities. My 3 kids have thrived at Bryant and Pattengill, and my oldest is soaring through middle school socially and academically. I have zero concerns about their preparation for the competitive Ann Arbor middle and high schools. Vist and you'll see!
--Submitted by a parent

Bryant has some good things, and some bad things. The principal is very good, very caring and staff is emotionally supportive in general, but everything is too busy, and some staff slide a little tooo much, having been theree a long time. The student body is very diverse, and that is enjooyable, but sometimes the staff is too easy on some of the kids. The curriculum is very good.
--Submitted by a parent

I am sadly disappointed in Bryant Elementary. I feel that the teachers and staff never had enough time for my child or family. Although others have had very good experiences, ours was very negative. Perhaps we were disillusioned by all of the positive remarks we heard about Ann Arbor schools. We expected far more. While sitting in the school waiting for my child to be dismissed I have seen some of the children, shoes untied, often dirty and it appears no one notices. The older children, who are there to assist with the little ones are often only loiters. They are at times very rude and inappropriate. I would think the school would choose positive role models. Structure is absent not only in the school near dismissal but the parking lot as well. Parking is a nightmare. Bryant does offer many after school programs they may be unaffordable to the middle class family (hundreds of dollars for foreign language study). I appreciate the before and after care as a play group for babysitting purposes although I would have liked to see some homework encouragement. The Web Calendar often boasts Coffee with the principle yet it does not list important things like school closings, half days, pictures, report cards, or parent teacher conferences. The children only get 3 report cards per year and as of March 2008 I have only been invited to 1 parent teacher conference. I feel lost when it comes to understanding my child s progress or lack there of. School breaks are at a discrepancy with neighboring school districts. They are very culturally diverse, yet at times I feel they place children who are not a minority at a significant disadvantage and make them feel less important then the others. They are so politically correct with the holidays they are on the verge of being incorrect. I do not believe she is at all prepared her for the rigors of third grade. We will need to spend a lot of time catching up on what has been pushed aside both socially and academically.
--Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, great resources, multi cultural and welcoming environment.
--Submitted by a parent

I think what impressed me the most was the principal, Dr. Corbet. He would alway greet my daughter by her first name when she walked into the school. It was almost like he sat down and studied the kids name with their faces. I was very impressed. Besides that, her teachers were caring and always welcoming my husband and I into the classroom whenever we just 'showed up'. My daughter has learned a lot and has advanced so much since being in that school. We have since moved into another school district and wish we could keep her at Bryant. Not to mention the school she is at now, they are studying things that she was doing the middle of the year the year before. She is two levels above average in her reading level, and I owe it all to her teachers at Bryant.
--Submitted by a parent