Twain Elementary School

our son attended K grade and this is our first year. Indeed the environment is buzzing with energy and parents are kept involved at every stage. I would disagree with the 'child not wanting to go to the school' and teachers 'yelling or screaming'. On the contrary the child loved getting up in the morning and looking forward to school days. In our experience they make an effort to educate children to be part of a diverse society. Can't comment on higher classes. We did find it odd though that they tend to promote local businesses to get donations but perhaps it is OK if done within reason due to overall budget cuts etc.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son is in K grade and this is our first year. The school is great especially teachers, they are very helpful and caring. My son loves to go to school.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal displays strong leadership and while LDC and the writing program are impressive, I subtracted a star because the math and science is program is not as strong as it should be. Many other parents say they supplement with extracurricular math/science programs. My child is a rising 5th grader who has attended Mark Twain since the 1st grade and he says he feels weak in that area when compared to his friends who attend other elementary schools.
—Submitted by a parent

I guess I expect more than the other parents who have posted here. While Twain will never be mistaken with an elementary in a gritty, working class neighborhood (like the one I attended growing up), I'm disappointed with our performance compared to our peer schools like Roberts Elementary, River Oaks Elementary or West University Elementary. My child continually comments on never feeling challenged by the work. If you have the type of child that tests in the highest percentiles, you probably want to look elsewhere for a challenging environment.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Twain. Wow! I can't say enough about it. The school buzzes with life. Everyone (students, teachers, and parents) seem to be energetic about being there. The importance of reaching and teaching the whole child is amazing these days and at this school it is their mission. Focus seems to be on enriching each student beyond what is expected for standardized test. If you look a the school's testing data knocking the standardized test out of the water is second nature. The principal always greets each parent and child every morning with a smile. She seems very comfortable with any parent/child interaction. My child's teacher, Mrs. Paschal, is above and beyond. She greets each child with a smile and a hug every morning. She keeps the parents well informed through her website and blog. This schools specials classes are great too. We're coming from a school that has only PE and music. Twain has Spanish, PE, Music, Art, Language Arts Lab, etc. Wow! We are very blessed to be a part of Twain Elementary!
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in kindergarten and I'm very impressed with this school. He loves the teachers. I'm impressed with their involvement in the International Bacelaureate (IB) program as well as their focus on language skills. The principal seems great as well. The
—Submitted by a parent

My second grader has been attending Twain since kindergarten. While he dislikes daily homework, he loves going to school everyday and loves working on special assignment projects. We have found all his teachers to be competent, caring, and professional. Parent-teacher communication is excellent. The IB program fosters a sense of learning for the sake of learning rather than test performance and global awareness. The LDC/ literary development curriculum is impressive. The PTO is very active-individual parents can choose to be involved with the school daily or not at all; there is no pressure either way. The new principal seems well-liked by teachers, parents, and kids.
—Submitted by a parent

The new princible is absolutley wonderful! The LDC program is great! So is the GT and Dual language!
—Submitted by a parent

My children (K and 4th) attend this school and I work there. We all love going to school. The teachers and staff really care about the kids and make kids want to learn. There is a new principal, and the teachers seem to love him and he is very involved in the daily campus life. I am thrilled that there is little emphasis on testing, although they sure seem to do well- they are doing a lot right!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had my child at Mark Twain for 5 years now and I can honestly say that the school is not what it is made out to be. I have seen teachers yell at and completely disrespect both students and teachers. I have seen children cry and not want to attend school any more, my child included. The teachers and principal's only concerns are perfect attendance, which by the way my child's teacher has even requested I bring my child to school sick, and test scores. They even claim to have 100% of the school's parents on the PTO so they have more leverage in front of the superintendant, but all it actually is is signatures. There are only a handful of parents involved and going to meetings. It's all about this fake image they are tyring to portray. Take my advice and put your child in another school!
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's 2nd year at Twain, and we absolutely love it! The LDC program is a terrific extra emphasis on reading, writing and critical thinking. The PYP program (the IB component) is a really valuable way to introduce global awareness and good values to the kids. The student body is diverse, and there is a high level of parent involvement in the PTO, helping in the classrooms and on field trips and iwth the extracurricular activities. The principal is a very active and visible force in the school; she knows all the kids by name it seems like (and she is also seemingly everywhere at once). The strings program is outstanding, and I understand the after-school program is also a very good option. We have been thrilled with Mark Twain Elementary School!
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended Twain for Kindergarten and First. I was not impressed. The teachers were quick to believe he had an attention problem, which has not been a problem since he changed schools. In fact, each time we went to observe, they had little control over the whole class.
—Submitted by a parent

Everyone talks about what a wonderful school this is. I'm not sure where the extracurricular activities are. They offer violin (for a fee). The principal only cares about perfect attendance, and not very involved with the parents outside the PTO. They do a great job. I have not been pleased with this school. I'm ready to make a change.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son started in Kindergarten at Twain last year. What an amazing school! The teachers and staff are amazing, helpful and responsive. They've bent over backwards to accommodate our son's hearing disability and have been so nice about it. The parent involvement is very high and very effective. We've met some fantastic families at Twain and the feeling of community is really strong. I'd recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent

I worked at his school for two years. It has an excellent dual language program which enables children of all nationalities to learn Spanish. In today's job market it a great assett to be able to speak another language. The teachers were all top notch and the principal really seemed to care about her students. Parental involvement was high as babysitting was provided to the parents to enable them to attend PTA meetings.
—Submitted by a parent

Having been involved with another elemtary school in another state, we were very impressed overall with this school. All of the teachers we've had so far have been very willing to work with us to help create the best enviornment for our child to learn. They've spent time with us and looked at our child's individual needs. They've had high expectations for what the children are capable of yet also did whatever they could to make sure the work wasn't overwhelming. I'm very impressed with the depth that has been covered in each subject, especially when it comes to writing.
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school, wonderful teachers, wonderful parents, very active PTO
—Submitted by a parent

Mark Twain is an excellent K-5 public school. My daughter loves it because of all that the school has available. The school is one of only three that has the International Beaucalerate Primary Years Programs. The after school program offers quite a bit of variety and is very affordable $250 per semester in 2004. In the after school program you get ten classes each week. For the price do not expect all of the after school classes to be taught by professionals some of the classes will leave something to be desired from a parent perspective. From a student perspective (the other kids in our car pool) they like the after school program. The school is big on extra enrichment programs: Literature Development, Art Ala Carte, Dual Language, Field Trips, the list goes on. The kids are bright and creative and appear happy. Finally, the parents are serious volunteers.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had 3 children enrolled at Mark Twain over the last several years and have always found it to be a warm and nurturing environment for my children and a welcoming environment for me. We have outstanding teachers at every grade level, our parents are involved, and our principal is motivated to introduce innovative and exciting programs such as the dual language program and the Primary Years Program (the elementary school component of the International Baccalareate program). In addition, with its proximity to the Texas Medical Center, the school has a wonderfully diverse student body with kids from all over the world which enriches the children's educational experience immeasurably! In short, we love our school!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are excellent, the principal is excellent, and the parent involvement is excellent!' I love the after school program!
—Submitted by wendi mcswain, a parent