West Oak Lane Charter School

As a former teacher, for three years, I decided to leave WOLCS on my own because of the horrid working conditions there. No, I am not bitter or angry. I just think that the public needs to know how the teachers are treated. We are threatened and made to feel scared by administration. They do not want to hear our ides, if we happen to think outside of the box. You are considered a "rebel" and "troublemaker" if you do think outside the box. Admin issues writeups for silly reasons (such as wearing a jacket in the winter and that was considered "out of uniform" according to admin). Admin DOES encourage teachers to falsify grades as well, I have seen this on SEVERAL occasions. When teachers ask for help, admin makes us feel inadequate and puts all the blame on us. I know, first hand, that special education student DO NOT receive ALL their required services either(which, according to IDEA, is against the law!). The students are, for the most part, very good and it is a shame that their favorite teachers are forced out. WOLCS is VERY money hungry and feels "threatened" when teachers better themselves with further education (Means, admin has to pay more $ to teachers). Very sad!!
--Submitted by a teacher

As a former teacher at wolcs I know first hand that administration strongly encourages teachers to change student grades when they are failing because if parents complain enough they will get what they want at this school. I had students failing because they turned in no homework at all but administration will say how's the student doing on test and are they proficient. If the answer is yes then that student will definitely pass no matter if they never turned in one assignment. I wanted to be a teacher to educate children not hand out grades because your mother will complain to everyone until they get the answer they are looking for. By the way I left wolcs on my own and I'm not some teacher who was fired and now is bitter. I just expected more when I took the job at wolcs.
--Submitted by a teacher

While I do believe overall that the school is okay, there is room for improvemnet. The teacher turnover rate can be troublesome at times. Though we know the school is not a daycare, it is good to see consistency. It shows that the school is stable and sound. The fact that staff is constanlty being shifted proves that the school is not yet on stable ground. Another troublesome thought for me, is the reading levels on the PSSA. I believe that if the school would start PSSA practice in kindergarten-second grade, then by the time the students start taking the real PSSA in third grade, they would be more prepared. Parent involvemnt is also low. Out of 726 students, only 15-20 parents show up weekly for the PTA meetings. This is another reason why the school cannot move past its present state.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is not as bad as most people crack it up to be. I mean the Teacher turn over is a very troubling problem indeed but it is not an extremely depth defyin matter of urgentcy.What is supposed to happen when your child Graduates to High School? Do you exepect for the teachers to follow them? No. And as for the administration I never really liked it. Execpt for Mr.Rynolds (I belive his name was) and Mrs.Charter. Your not supposed to make long life friends with teachers. Just have respect for them. It's school not day care. >Jonah Anderson<
--Submitted by a student

I love west oak lane. Mu daugthers curriculum is outstanding and she is only going to the 2nd grade. The teachers keep in you updated about your child and there is Zero tolerance
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended WOLCS since Kindegrarten and will be going to 3rd grade in the fall of 09 and academiclly she is doing well. The teacher turnover is definately a problem. I also think that disipline is important but this school is almost run like the military with their sign laguange system for talking volume. Sometimes you get lucky and land a really good teacher that goes the extra mile like Ms. A she teaches 2nd grade and communicates very well with the parents.
--Submitted by a parent

WOLCS needs to invest in their students by investing in the teaching staff. You can't expect a school to make big improvements if the teaching staff changes so much every year. It has been proven that strong schools have strong teachers. The administration needs to recruit and develop good teachers. It's not fair to the kids to have half or more of the teaching staff change every year. The kids deserve more! On the positive side, the school is pretty safe, esepecially compared to area public schools. And they have fantastic kids!
--Submitted by a teacher

I agree with the most recent comment this school students and administration are out of control. The teacher turn over is horrible and out of control. My daughter has attended WOLCS since kindergarten and the last 2 years has been the worse. I'm notified at the last minute regarding my daughters progress teachers are leaving left and right the parents aren't notified, its horrible.
--Submitted by a parent

the school needs to evaluate their methods of conduct in investigating problems that concerns the children
--Submitted by a parent

I am totally agreeable with the constant turnover with teachers. Overall my is son is doing great and the teachers now are more considerate and have the patience with the students. My son is in the 8th grade. My son had some difficulty in certain subjects and the teachers kept me inform about is grade, homework by email or phone calls. They are willing to stay in contact with parents. The Teaches at WOLC are hard working teachers and they have to cope with some students with bad attitude. Overall I amd now seeing GREAT improvement. Good school to send your child.
--Submitted by a parent