I believe school choices can and do make a difference in a child’s life. We experienced this first hand. We had our child in one of the charter schools in Longmont, CO. We were very excited at first. Based on the presentation we felt our child would be set to a higher standard of academic achievement and we no longer would need to pay the pricey tuition of private school fees in order to accomplish our goals. We had a very good teacher the first year but were concerned of the large classroom sizes (typically 25 – 28 students per class). There was a student who literally spent 75% or more of the assistant teacher’s time dealing with his issues/needs which made it difficult and unfair for the rest of the class to get the one on one attention expected and needed.

This year (our 2nd year) at the charter school was worse. We did not like the teacher. She had no compassion for the kids and clearly refused to address matters in a proper manner. My two aunts have taught in the public sector for 12 years each and I have spoken with several teachers in the St. Vrain district who have all agreed the best way to handle disputes is to speak with each child involved to get his/her side of the story and then make a decision based on what is said. At that point it is up to the teacher to make the child understand what he/she is doing is not acceptable. If matters did not get resolved or got worse, parents should be called in for a conference to discuss the incident. If this still does not handle the situation, then at that time the principal or asst. principal should be called in to assist. These were not the steps taken at the charter school. Our child was immediately written up or sent to the asst. principal’s office on several occasions based on another child’s remark without even discussing the incident. It was always up to me to set up a conference, and when I did I felt the situations many times had been exaggerated and not properly addressed.

I do not expect the schools to raise my children but I do expect them to handle situations as they arise and to be proactive in lieu of retroactive. Our other child at MPPS has had situations that required attention but instead of writing up a report the teachers have actually addressed the matter with concern. In addition, the teacher(s) have taught right from wrong and have helped them to comprehend/understand what is/is not acceptable and have given them tools to work through problems.

As far as learning levels I have seen a significant difference in teaching styles from charter to private. I feel private schools such as MPPS allow children to comprehend the material and to expand their learning ability based on the fundamental basics learned through core knowledge. I feel the charter/public schools are on a time schedule and you either get it or you don’t. Due to the large classroom sizes children are often left not understanding certain material or are accelerated in area(s) but are simply overlooked.

My Kindergartner in MPPS would often bring home material the same as my 1st grader in charter school and to my disbelief would be able to understand the material better. I have also seen a significant difference in reading levels. Both of our children are proficient readers but the time it has taken my younger child to catch up to my older child is exceptional. I often times catch our younger child reading more advanced words and understanding them. My husband and I decided to switch my older daughter to MPPS because we feel education is important and we want to give our children every advantage.

I am a true believer in the statement you get what you pay for whether it be clothes, cars or education and I have seen that MPPS has and will continue to make my child a better person by giving him/her the tools they need to succeed in life."
-MPPS Parent