Chandler Oaks Elementary School

We live so close our child could walk to COE, but it'd snow in the Sahara before we would send a kid there again. This school views involved parents as issues to handle, not as the people who care most about their kids' education. Most of the kids here started at Cactus Ranch, and already there are clear indications they tested better there. COE's mostly new teachers (50% have 5 years experience or less) are coasting off CRE's good work. What made us leave? After weeks of silence, we finally raised concerns about a poor teacher. COE admin went into overdrive to defend her and attack us! They even went on a fishing expedition via an Orwellian dream called the 'Lunch Bunch,' which puts kids the admin wants to 'help' at a lunch table with a counselor, who then leads the kids to badmouth their parents. The admin then uses this against parents who don't respond as COE admin demands. After suffering through this, we found our neighbors had removed their child from COE because of the same poor teacher AND the same bullying admin. Even the parent group is clueless, more concerned about t-shirt and Kona Ice sales than their kids' educational results. We expected better from RRISD.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school! From the location, the safety, office staff, principal, teachers & parent involvement. We can't say enough positive things about the school. The IB Program is fantastic, it encourages children to be inquirers to think and to ask questions. Students don't have to sit on their chair for 8 hours & be bored, they get to do fun Science Projects in the "Village", they get to do Flashlight Reading, listen to Math Rap Songs and do all kinds of fun stuff while learning the traditional Curriculum and working on their IB Units, like "Who we are in the World", or "How we co-exist"....why wouldn't you want to go to this school???!! I wish my school would have had so many fun things to do. Yes, the first year the school was open it was a pretty tough year, but everybody basically just got their feet wet. The problems were taken care of immediately and we flew through the 2nd year with a breeze. We are 3rd year Cheetah's and unfortunately we have to move due to my husbands job and won't be back next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school and great teachers. The IB program is excellent. My girls love the school and I volunteered time to time in the Watchdog program. Definitely recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

The facilities are great. If your child has special needs, look elsewhere. Our child has Autism. The school was unwilling to take the recommendations of my wife, myself, nor our son's psychologist. My least favorite memory is when the principal said, " your child has no sense of community"...really? Our son was repeatedly punished days after inappropriate behavior occurred. He was not allowed to participate in Gym class due to behavior related to his disabilities. He was threatened with not participating on a field trip due to behavior relating to his disability even though my wife volunteered to go on it with him. I am certain there are some good teachers at Chandler Oaks but the leadership coming from the top down leaves much to be desired.
—Submitted by a parent

I just moved here from out of state where I was a teacher, and while in the process of getting my Texas Credential I am subbing. I have subbed at this school several times and I must say that this school has it together! The staff is amazing, the students are learning leaps and bounds and I am very impressed at the feel of community and family in the school!

I am a teacher at COE and admit it was a rough first year, but to be expected since it was our opening year and administration was out on medical leave for almost half of the year. In reviewing some of the "complaints" by parents, being on the "same page" for the whole school was an issue, but is something that has been resolved after our first year. As teachers and staff, we were disappointed in the lack of flexibility from a small group of parents who wanted it their way or the highway. Requests and demands were made that were sometimes denied by administration in order to protect teachers and the learning environment. Please remember that as teachers our job is to educate, not people please. Policies can be put in place for reasons that parents are not aware of, but concern incidents that have occured and warrant a change in policy.
—Submitted by a teacher

This school certainly has some wrinkles to iron out in many areas! Being that last year was the opening year some of the issues were expected. My kids (Kinder and 4th grade) liked school and liked their teachers, that means alot to me. I feel however, their teachers are all over the board from exceptional to less than average. It would be great to see the principal more interactive with the parents and be more approachable overall. Getting all the teachers and teams on the same page is a key factor that seems to be missing. I am in the field of child development myself but feel like I needed to "coach" my kindergartner"s entire team more than I should have had to. The teacher herself went above and beyond it just didn't seem like she had the support she needed from administration. I feel like the color behavior based system is a "one size fits all" method that needs lots of adjusting. The counselor is great and my sons 4th grade teacher is exceptional.Confident and hopeful for a better year this year in many areas.
—Submitted by a parent

There were so many problems in both of my students grades along the same line as 1 star posters below that my children will not attend Chandler Oaks again. Kindergarten in particular was a disaster. My child knew more educational basics coming out of preschool than at this school. Parents of kindergarteners in particular were not welcome, encouraged and often treated as children themselves. My experience with 2nd grade academic expectations were really low. I taught 2nd grade concepts at home because it was lacking at school, especially in basic math facts. I flat also flat out lied to by the principal and the kindergarten teacher on several very important occasions. I don't tolerate lying from my kids let alone from people in charge of my children for the majority of the day. The PTA was the only good thing going. The nurse and the counselor were tops in my book too. But that alone doesn't make a school good.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to start off by saying my sons 1st grade teacher was awesome. He loved her and she loved him, and that is a wonderful thing. Their is no doubt in my mind that she felt the same way about the other children in her class. She had high expectations of her students because she knew that they were able, and I loved that about her. She kept the parents up to date on all of the happenings, and while out on maternity leave we still heard from her from time to time... now that is dedication! If I were rating her alone I would give her 10 stars. I think the school itself still has things to straighten out like most new schools do. My son went to Terravista last year and the homework was craziness. However, I think Chandler Oaks was lacking in that department. To the parents of Chandler Oaks... I did meet a lot of nice people, but boy did I run into some really unfriendly and unhappy people. We are our childrens best teachers, and our children learn from us. We need to be sure that we are being the best examples that we can be for them.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers my children (2nd and 4th grade) had at Chandler Oaks were dedicated to student success. Academics were challenging without too much homework. Emotional needs (including a bullying situation) were addressed by teachers, counselor, and the PALS program. Leadership: We had some issues as a new school as policies set by the administration were meshed with the community in which it serves. Our principal had to leave for health reasons during the school year, and because of the uncertainty in the air before and after her absence, the principal seemed "unapproachable." The AP, counselor, and office, continue to make parents feel at home by answering questions and providing support, proving that the principal is not the only leader in a school. It was difficult for our communities to love and transition from Cactus Ranch, then Teravista and Sommer ...All of the schools have their pros and cons, and we are weaving the pros. One steady thing: PARENTS! The parent involvement is tremendous, and the school as a whole encourages parent AND student involvement inside and OUTSIDE of school through its many family-oriented activities and academics. I look forward to next year!
—Submitted by a parent

This school fosters an atmosphere of oversensitivity and tattletaling. Concerns brought to administration are dismissed, if a teacher is involved, communication between school/home is nonexistent. Kids are pulled into counselors office with no parental notification whatsoever. Teachers snap and yell at kids, which is also dismissed by administration. This school protects the true bullies, and makes mountains out of molehills with the regular kids. Kinder team is unfriendly and sometimes antagonistic toward parent involvement. Controling environment, my child has been yelled at and made to "change her color" for drinking water, yes drinking water. She was told "you don't need water right now, change your color". Spend much time focusing on IB principles instead of academic. My 3rd grader had to learn times tables at home, not part of curriclum. I truly could go on but mainly hit the major problems. there are some TRULY fabulous teachers who go the extra mile for their classes, but there are some really awful ones who shouldn't even be working with kids, and the principal is clueless as to the difference, like the distinction between true bullying and good natured ribbing.
—Submitted by a parent

There is a lack of high scademic standards. When concerns were brought up they were dismissed and blame was put on home instead of teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great! The principal & her assistant are very involved with all of the students. The teachers do a great job, personally as well as academically. Also, I especially love the idea about submitting an absence online which will be making my life easier and more convenient:) My son is in the first grade and learning so much. I loved his teacher and the school counsellor.. It was my son's great experience in school that he has not asked for a better place to continue his world of learning. The PTA is very involved in school activities & fundraising. It has been a wonderful experience the entire time. I'm thankful for the caring staff and the dedication they have to their students. They make each day a great learning experience. On top of that, I were made to feel very welcome every visit I make!
—Submitted by a parent