Glenwood Elementary School

We moved from Atlanta and have been involved with the Chinese Mandarin Immersion program. The education for our children has been very good, the support staff are amazing and the school administration really values the arts, science and foreign language (in addition to other core studies, of course). The thing that is beyond amazing is the amount of cultural diversity. It permeates throughout the culture of the school and has a very unique energy that sets it apart. Really fantastic...
—Submitted by a parent

we love this school! It has been a wonderful experience for our child. He is a very active 1st grader, and while the limited amount of recess was a concern, they seem to have enough activity and outdoor time during the day, with PE, science and their specials for him to not go crazy.
—Submitted by a parent

absolutely horrible school with no concern for student safety. the new principal Ms. Ryan is a horrible woman who talks to parents like children
—Submitted by a parent

This may be a school that is rated a "10" but all that everyone is concerned with here is test scores. The teachers are stressed out and over-reactive and defensive if a parent asks a question. They do not communicate with parents unless they have to and then it is usually with a post-it. The principal does not answer emails or respond to parents. She believes that "they" know what they are doing "Just let us do the teaching. If you are interested in your child doing well on a test , then this is the place for you. If you are interested in you child's well being, find some place else because good test scores are all you will receive. If you child is diverse but doesn't speak English as a second language, take a look at the disparity in the test scores for minorities. No recess is required at this school. In kindergarten they get 20min of recess in an 8 hour day and 20min eat lunch. When you speak to other parents about your concerns, all you get is one of their battle stories. Not once have a heard a parent say, This is a good school. It's always, "Yeah, we're frustrated too!"
—Submitted by a parent

In her second year in the Chinese Dual-Language Program my grandaughter is dong very well and is learning to speak Chinese through a half day emersion program.

Principal Goins recognizes each and every parent by face - a remarkable achievement, in my book. I have 2 grandchildren attending Glenwood. They have learned to read, to do math, and appreciate science - plus they have a lot of fun in school! Glenwood has an international population, and each culture is celebrated. Each student is recognized for their individual skills. The teachers are very accessible and communicate frequently with parents.
—Submitted by a parent

One son completed two years in the LEAP (gifted class) program at Glenwood, and another completed pre-K here. The principal (2007) is a joy and truly outstanding! We highly recommend the school.
—Submitted by a parent

Hi. My kids have been going to Glenwood for about 5 years and I am very satisfied with the school's curriculum and just atmosphere. I am very proud that my kids are going to Glenwood.
—Submitted by a parent

Great fun for everybody. Great school.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter just finished her first year at Glenwood and we could not be more pleased. It has been a wonderful school! I am a teacher and have taught in several districts and have never seen such organization in a school. One reviewer mentioned class size but failed to add that each teacher has a teacher's helper so it's really two trained adults per class. They have so many opportunities - French 3 times a week, science, art, music - and the student body is very diverse.
—Submitted by a parent

Great ESL program. French music, art and sport program.
—Submitted by a parent

Child attended two years, in self-contained program called Tier One, now LEAP. Excellent experience with good teacher. Only drawback is that the curriculum was project-based, rather than content/fact based, which means kids may not get a good grounding in general info. Instead of studying states or regions in the US, the kids got in a group and made up a state. Not sure what value that holds, but CHCCS is a very progressive district and this is the kind of thing they go in for here. Very good art teacher, and fabulous music teacher who has led the fifth grade show choir, which takes all comers, to championship status for many years running. More information about gifted programs in this district is available here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PAGE-CHCCS/join
—Submitted by a parent

If your child is very academically gifted, then this is the school to go. Dedicated teachers, old-style home-iness, plus high expectations define the LEAP program at Glenwood. Regarding drop off lines, hey a bus is provided, use the bus to save money, environment, and time. The new principal is very accessible to both parents, teachers and students. Very good schol and I'm glad we're there. Parent of a 4th grader 2004-2005.
—Submitted by a parent

Because of redistricting nobody walks to Glenwood and few take the bus for some reason. Consequently, there is a long drop off line every morning that can cause your child to be late. Environmentally, this is a mess as the emissions from all these idling cars end up at the front door of the school where all the kids are going in. Our daughter was in 3rd grade last year. Each of the two 3rd grade classes averaged 28-29 students - way too many. After 3 1/2 years of afterschool we pulled our daughter out of the program as the 'teachers' were too much on the rough side and the kids were generally herded around like cattle and yelled at a lot. Fun end of year talent show but I'm glad we're not at Glenwood this year.
—Submitted by a parent

Glenwood is committed to differentiated instruction, or teaching small groups of students ever more difficult material using a variety of techniques. The vision is clear but not entirely consistent across teachers. A new principal may help with further implementation of the strong vision set by the last. An excellent school for academically gifted and motivated children.
—Submitted by a parent