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Permalink Reply by Sarah Anonymous on April 25, 2008 at 3:32pm

random notes and thoughts:

As a product of APS and a person with a elementary aged child now, I can tell you

APS overall standards are waaay too low, and it shows. Local businesses complain about the labor pool, and student from APS complain they are not prepared adequately for typical college course work.

APS is worse in the math and science area, which I think is a problem in all school districts nation wide.

APS' doesn't have good standardized methods and systems for helping the student who doesn't suceed easily. And you may find your kid is one who doesn't. Gifted kids, rambunctious kids, dyslexic kids, extremely social kids, extremely shy kids, on and on, there are many kids who need extra intervention to suceed. Many times it isn't there, or you have to jump through many many hoops to get it, or the interventions are purely punative.

Parents sometimes have to be the squeaky wheel to get their childs needs met (even decently)

On the other hand
No school, no matter how "good" it supposedly is, can be all things to all people. And some years you will have good teachers, and some years bad.
Parental involvement is key. You have to decide if you involvement will be driving your kid around, volunteering in the classroom, spending extra time with your kid doing extra projects, extracurriculatr activities, etc...

There are APS graduates who had a 4.0+ GPA and feel like the wasted their time and didn't learn, and there are APS graduates who have done exceptionally well. There are private school graduates and APS graduates who are herion addicts, managers, welders, moms and dads, Drs, judges, professors, artists, etc...

I would carefully consider how much time and commitment you will be able to make to your child and the school/community, and how you can optimize that time, rather than which specific school you hear the best things about. And that means not just how much time you spend driving but also how comfortable and accepted you feel in that school's environment, and how closely the values of the school community align with your own. How do you feel about (and how do you think your kid will be affected by) things like a dress code, testing, parents in the classroom, field trips, outdoor activities, discipline, homework, healthy eating habits, acceptance of non-standardized teaching/learning, mixed grade v single grade, the list goes on and on and on.

APS elementary schools have a better rep than their middle schools, which may be something to keep in mind if you are wondering if you can afford to pay fir private school for 12 years, or drive your child back and forth every day for 12 years.

There are more charter school options now, and a few of them have been in business for long enough to show that they are not just ideals and good intentions. (and have evidence like test scores and functioning students and happy parents) Also there are many schoosl with unique features, such as a special music program, or bilingual classrooms, or really great before and after school care.

just a few ideas
good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Nora on April 25, 2008 at 4:16pm

I second that. Scot's one of my favorite bloggers.

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Permalink Reply by Adelita on April 25, 2008 at 3:59pm

Sometimes these APS discussions drive me crazy! My daughter, who is now in the 7th grade in a public middle school is doing exceptionally well. I thank her elementary school teachers - also public school - who were top notch, for preparing her for the enriched classes she is in now.

Yes, I am a very involved parent. And yes, I believe that is key. My daughter has friends at private schools and was shocked to learn that her math was at a far advanced level than theirs. Is she a math genius? No, She just has a great teacher. Are all her teachers great? No. But that's where I come in and get myself involved.

Are all schools created equally in ABQ? Of course not. But I am a firm believer that what you put into it is what you get out of it. I work with schools on a daily basis from all over the state. I work at a museum here in town and I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly side of teachers, parents and kids on field trips. Our biggest problem schools - usually private. And the worst problems of all - the parents!! Again, being an involved, aware parent is key to any successful school experience.

And to speak from total experience, I went to both private and public schools here in ABQ. The most drugs were in private school. The most fights were in public school. I can go on and on about the pros and cons of both. Glean whatever information you need to from this discussion, which i know will be very opinionated. No one knows your children better than you and what is best for them.

Whatever school you choose, make sure there is a good balance of music and art and sports programs too. That is one thing that we need more of in every school!

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Permalink Reply by sophie on April 25, 2008 at 4:13pm

Remember, too, that you can request to place your kid in specific schools within the district. I've never done this (no kids) but I have friends who have, with great success. I have to ditto Lita and Sarah's comments about the importance of parent involvement. But since you asked this question, I also sort of assume that you're that kind of parent already!

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Permalink Reply by Nora on April 25, 2008 at 4:15pm

My elementary and middle school experiences were both pretty good. In HS I really felt like my time was not respected and I wasted a lot of time on busywork.

If your kid ends up with that kind of experience in HS, you may want to get them going to CNM, either full time or as a "drop-in". I had a really good experience with summer classes there.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on April 25, 2008 at 6:04pm

I have a child finishing 1st grade in APS and can honestly say we have no major complaints so far about his education. We absolutely loved his kindergarten teacher who was very passionate, enthusiastic and caring while very adequately covering the academics he needed (admittedly, we feel lucky to have landed in her class, we know that they're not all like this). This year the teacher is very competent, thorough, and adept at getting the kids to grasp the concepts needed to move on to next year.

We have not seen evidence of any fighting, bullying, or other problems at the school and feel completely comfortable with him there. There is a lot of good parent involvement, and we do our part as well, which I think makes a big difference.

I do think APS is top-heavy, causing inefficiencies, but I also see quality in the people at the classroom/school level. Hopefully the new superintendent will bring positive changes, it would certainly be nice to see people happy with the top level administration for a change.

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Permalink Reply by missy on April 25, 2008 at 8:58pm

hi robin-

for some factual information about elementary schools in APS, click here.

for information about charter schools within APS (and they are free here) click here.

APS report card is here.

if you want to transfer out of your elementary into another--and this is a right all students/parents enjoy in APS--click here, scroll down a bit, and download the info and request for transfer.

it is a hard decision. i don't know anything about rio rancho and my kids are not in APS. my friends who have kids in APS love bandelier elementary, montessori of the rio grande, singer montessori (actually, i think it is just the montessori on singer and is called something else) and georgia o'keeffe. double eagle is also very good but has been, until recently, extremely overcrowded. pretty much all of the "la cueva cluster" is good for elementary. unfortunately, much of the NW schools are not of the same caliber as the ones in the la cueva and eldorado clusters.

good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Lynn on April 25, 2008 at 10:30pm

You can request a transfer, but that doesn't mean you'll get it. If your child attends a school that has not met AYP, you qualify for a No Child Left Behind transfer. You will have to provide your own transportation. I drive forty miles round trip, every day, to take my child to a public school that has lower enrollment. By the way, the APS report card hasn't been updated. There are some schools that didn't meet AYP last year, but the report card doesn't reflect that yet.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Anonymous on April 26, 2008 at 3:13am

I want to caution about making too many decisions about which school makes AYP (adequate yearly progress, a no child left behind wording for "didn't do well enough on the tests") Almost any school can pass or fail based on some weird statistical anomalies, it does not necessarily mean that the majority of kids were not on target for skills and learning- last years a HUGE portion of the elementary schools in APS failed. Incld, for instance, Bandelier, where my daughter goes. It is often named as a "good school" and good place to send your kids, and it "failed" last year.

One good thing about who makes AYP and who doesn't, is that if the school in your district doesn't make it, you will have extra leverage when applying for a transfer to another APS school. I am not sure how other school districts deal (such as RR) with transfers from APS, and if they care about NCLB stuff. But don't make your decisions based on that- make your decisions based on how much you like the school you want to send your child to.

BTW in a month all the school are closed for the summer. (a few schools are on different schedules) This is a very busy time of year for principals, but all of them are avail. to talk to you and help schedule a tour. Also talk to local PTAs- a good way to get info about the school, also specific teachers, and also feel out how the school is run. (eg very clubby/cliquey, very dictatorial, very loose, very needy, very political, etc....)

Another option, that some parents are very happy with, is the APS Family School. The kids are in class 4 hours a day, 4 days a week. Obviously the time commitment is not an option for most parents. But if you think it might work for you, you might want to call the school and set up an interview.

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Permalink Reply by Jill on April 25, 2008 at 9:50pm

Actually, not all charter schools are through APS (the new Cottonwood Classical, which is 6-12, is one example) ... this list, from NM Public Ed., is probably the most up-to-date list of charter schools in the state.

My son attends The Montessori Elementary Charter School (currently on Singer, moving over the summer to a new building just down the street), and we are very happy with the school. Wonderful teachers, Suzuki violin, art class every week, and free Montessori!

Everyone has good/bad stories about APS, I think it all boils down to what you want from a school. What things are most important to you and your child? Is it music, art, mixed age classroom, bi-lingual ed, small class size, math, etc etc etc.? We had a very difficult decision when our son got into TMES - there's a great elementary school very close to our house -- so it was not easy deciding what to do. In the end, the charter won out because we felt the music/art and the non-traditional curriculum would be best for us (in spite of the crazy drive!).

My advice to friends who are deciding about public vs. charter vs. private is to get in on as many charter lotteries as you can (they take place in the spring) - it doesn't cost you anything and you can always opt out if you're drawn.

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Permalink Reply by Robin on April 27, 2008 at 10:27am

can I do the charter lotteries now or do I have to wait until next spring when she is old enough for kindergarten? also, does APS have limited art and music classes and can anyone recommend a good charter school in NW ABQ?

and thanks everybody for the info - its all very very helpful (I had no idea charter school were FREE!)

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Permalink Reply by missy on April 27, 2008 at 11:29am

montessori of the rio grande is in NW albuquerque--click here for info about the school. it is kinda close to the I-40 and rio grande blvd. it is a fantastic school--the kids do well and seem very happy. lottery information is on the left hand side bar.

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