The Family School

It is sad that this school is gong down quite rapidly. The cliche you would hear (if you dare voice any sort of criticism) is the school is not for everyone so of course if you cannot stand it you vote with your feet, but now it seems like it really is becoming a school for no one. It has a beautiful building and a few wonderful teachers, though it's a toss-up what teacher you will be assigned to. It was a better school before the nice building. It definitely needs something to hold it together, now that its core model seems to have collapsed and is morphing into the unknown. That something seems to be evading the current leadership which is unfortunate.
--Submitted by a parent

The school's emphasis on quality is to be recognized but not at the expense of a child's enthusiasm and happiness. I saw too many spirits crushed and moved my child. The Principal has some great ideas - especially in the area of math; but due to teacher turn-over, not all even know the curriculum. Recess is nearly nonexistent as are other opportunities to enjoy being a child. Your child will learn and test well but at what cost?
--Submitted by a parent

It truly is sad to see so many negative reviews. This is our family's seventh year at Family School. It's not for everyone. Not every family has the time to devote to this model of education. Are expectations high? Yes. Are parents required to do far more than they are in a more conventional school? Yes. Do the children learn tremendous academic skills? Yes. Is it worth the time and effort? That depends on the individual child and family. Had I do it it all over again, I would not choose a different school for my three children.
--Submitted by a parent

It's sad to see all these negative reviews. Family School was a wonderful place 10-12 years ago. Now that my kids are in "real" school, I miss the dedicated teachers and the excellent academic environment. The tradeoff is they are much, much happier now and we all are much better off without the pressure of unrealistic expectations. I DO NOT miss the parent meetings! Thank goodness I don't have to sit through two hours of how to write a Sophie letter or Critical Reframers. I DO NOT miss the "mommy" homework. I DO NOT miss the Homework Logs where you had to detail your goals and time worked (rounded to a quarter hour) in every subject. I DO NOT miss the principal who regularly would lock the parking lot gate in the evening, locking in 25 parents who were watching their kids practice football on an adjoining field. Are my kids learning as much? No. Are we better off in the long run? Yes.
--Submitted by a parent

This school was considered good once. Now it's just a short (on average a few months long) stop for families who tolerate it till they can no longer endure the fluff the school enforces that kills the imagination of kids by sucking up all of their time. If they stuck with the basics and used their time in class wisely, moderating the homework to a realistic 2-3 hour daily amount, and tailoring it to the abilities of the students and not the parents, thus allowing families to breathe, they would retain more families. But they keep adding self-important fluff written up on loose sheets of the teachers' composition, with an average of 20 typos per page. All is defined very vaguely in the form of unclear projects and self-assessments. Kids will learn a fair amount (who wouldn't if they spend 11 hours a day on school), but they will feel miserable for the most part and they'd be lucky if they can brush their teeth in peace. If you homeschool, you'll impart to your kids the same amount of knowledge in less than half the time, and will have happy kids with varied interests.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is based on an idea that existed before so many moms started working to make ends meet, half-day school instruction with a couple hours homework. The school used to be good and stable, but is sinking fast. The test-driven ruler is ripping her own model apart, confusing families and putting even more unreasonable time demands than the ones existing before. At the same time, new rival schools and better homeschooling options are making the unreasonable parent time demands for that "eclectic" school sound inane. One has to drive to 2- hr meetings the gist of which could be put in a 5-minute email, etc. The school has no history and very little science on its curriculum, not to mention foreign languages. It uses quite mysterious language for things that have long-established names in order to sound very pompous and academic. For instance, a dictation is called a "Sophie dictation" and woe on you if you call it dictation. Attitude and commitment are two other ideas that mean nothing to the 5-year who has to assess himself on scales involving those. Teacher turn-over is substantial due to said parent meetings and unclear expectations, and recently family turnover is high.
--Submitted by a parent

"Family" school is an oxymoron. If you have an only child with 5 adults to cater to the school's compulsory requirements of constant parent meetings designed to teach you their "method", but in actuality killing family time, you might find it a good school. The previous reviewer sums it eloquently. Expect unclear expectations and massive homework that will suffocate and stunt your child and allow little free play if you do it all. Expect to be treated like a schoolchild yourself and take lessons in how to add, subtract and add fractions even if you hold a PhD in physics. Here, even the relatively good teachers are confused because things change at a drop of a hat. What used to be the norm in the morning will be completely reversed in the evening. Most children at this school are frustrated, at least in the younger grades. Most of the parents are ambitious and overzealous. Beware of burnout, choose your school wisely. Recently, the school has had no wait lists and is struggling to fill its spots. It's in a deep crisis, with lots of previously happy families running away from it in large numbers due to its volatility and high time demands with little to show in return.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is OK for many people. It is rather like a moving target as the staff changes requirements seemlingly on a whim with little or few explanations. Make no mistake, this is a writing charter school. Even science is about writing up journals etc. The homework is excessive and the expectations are seldom clear. The place is a revolving door as students and parents come and go. Communication is vague with many references to "committment". If you struggle, you are not committed is the logic here. Be careful because if you don't fit in you better have a back up plan. Overall, girls are happier here.

I love this school! There is a lot of homework, but it is a great education and it is very fun. We have great opportunities to do art and perform plays and make great friends, but we also have time to learn well. Family School is a very safe and fun place to go, and parents also get to be involved. We now have a science class and new clubs and something called art wheel that makes if even more great! I have loved every teacher I have ever had there, and so have all my friends. Family school is a great school.

There are some great qualities about this school and some not-so-great ones as well. We have chosen this school for our kids because of the parental involvement that it requires. The students really learn a great deal of information in Reading, Math, and some science. Other subjects, well this school is definitely lacking. They require 'homeschooling' but it's really just assignments in reading and math usually. I do not like that I don't have time to teach them other subjects at home. I wish this school would put more importance on a little bit of playtime, which is so important for younger kids, but they expect that to be at home. So they get 4 intense hours of schoolwork a day without really any breaks. Overall I am happy with this school, but it's not for everyone.
--Submitted by a parent