L.H. Tanglen Elementary School

I have a 3rd grader and 1st grader here @ Tanglen. My 3rd grader has attended Tanglen since 1st grade. This school has several issues, here are a few. *Bad behavior with no consequences. *Lack of communication!!! *Class sizes are huge, almost 30 kids per class. *No LRTs (Learning Resource Teachers). *No authority/leadership. *Depressing environment, building and playground are outdated. *Bullying rules @ this school, kids run the show. *Teacher morale is low, they are overworked and not supported by admins. *Overall culture of disrespect between staff, students, parent's. *Not enough options for gifted and talented students. *Recess is like a war zone/free for all/etc. *No cultural/holiday/birthday celebrations allowed :( Don't send your child here, their education will suffer. This has got to be one of the worst schools in the Hopkins School District.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have had a great experience with this school. The teachers are warm and welcoming. The parents are very involved. The principal is excellent, as she initiates solutions and maneuvers well within the political confines that some parents create. The staff and student body is very diverse, which brings on a whole new layer of education and learning for the children. I can't begin to say enough wonderful things about the school.
--Submitted by a parent

My kids went here a few years ago. The children at this school spent far too much time doing busy-work from workbooks, and later in the year, test prep packets. Reading was taught entirely from the textbook, no extra literature circles, etc. The discipline system was punitive, rather than rewarding positive behavior. Art lessons in the lower grades involved making a project that looked exactly the same as everyone else's. This school did not meet the needs of my creative, 'think outside the box' children.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter just finished 3rd grade and I really like this school. The teachers are great. They treat every student the same no matter what your race or income is. Every year my daughter has loved going to school. I am very pleased with the school
--Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, totally overworked with the large class sizes, but some of the best teachers I know. Need a new principal, she doesn't deal with anything, doesn't know the kids names, doesn't know the parents and is totally unapproachable, if it wasn't for the great teachers and the parent involvement, we would be gone!
--Submitted by a parent

My son just completed grade 1. Both in K and 1st grade, I was concerned about class size, but each year what started as a class of 29-30 ended up at 26. With all the break-out sessions the classes do, the group sizes are smaller for the essential core subjects. I'm overall very pleased with Tanglen - parents are very involved and there are a lot of opportunities to participate in your child's classroom if you wish.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is currently enrolled in Kindergarten at Tanglen. Unforunately, there are 29 children in his class, as well as the first grade class above him. There is one assistant teacher in the class for half of the day to help out. We are outraged at the class size and feel there's no way our child can get the attention here.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is currently in first grade here and she also attended Kindergarten at Tanglen. My husband and I are both incredibly impressed with the staff and enviroment. This school also has a high level of parent involvement.
--Submitted by a parent