PGCPS - Robert Goddard Montessori

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of the specialty schools rely on the relative privilege of their population for great test scores and the actual teaching doesn't have to be that great to get those. RG is even more of a selective 'lottery' school because you really need significant means to be able to pull off the half morning schedule and/ or send your kid to a Montessori school before transferring there. So the fact that they don't let people tour and rely on high test scores to attract people really isn't great practice in the long run. We all know that test scores don't tell the whole story, or any story.

[Anonymous]

The long history is that it used to be Montessori based in 4-6th grade, and even middle school made attempts (Montessori isn't really designed for beyond 6th grade), but there was a problem of sexual harrassment/bullying one year (between two male students) in 4-6 so they decided to bump the 6th graders up to middle school and keep it at 4th and 5th. Around this time the school got a new principal (not the current one) that was indifferent to Montessori at best. There was also a new state testing regime implemented and she prioritized test scores above all else. There were also problems finding Montessori trainied teachers, although this principal brought in some of her non-Montessori teachers and drove away a few of the good ones. In any case, from 4th grade up, it is not Montessori any more, just a school.

That said, it is worth it because the school is small as are the class sizes. By middle school your kid will be in a middle school with less than 100 kids, and all of them they've known their entire lives. The school tends to keep more upper middle class kids. The upshot is the Montessori middle is about 1000X better than our neighborhood middle. When we were there all the middle school teachers were excellent but there is turnover (often a problem in PG county in general).

If you're willing to deal with the drive/bussing I think it is worth it, even if the school is not as Montessori as it used to be.

I also wouldn't discount the Montessori teaching from pre-K through 3rd (if that's still emphasized; it was when we were there). Those are formative reading and writing, math years and the approach to this is unique and very effective in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The long history is that it used to be Montessori based in 4-6th grade, and even middle school made attempts (Montessori isn't really designed for beyond 6th grade), but there was a problem of sexual harrassment/bullying one year (between two male students) in 4-6 so they decided to bump the 6th graders up to middle school and keep it at 4th and 5th. Around this time the school got a new principal (not the current one) that was indifferent to Montessori at best. There was also a new state testing regime implemented and she prioritized test scores above all else. There were also problems finding Montessori trainied teachers, although this principal brought in some of her non-Montessori teachers and drove away a few of the good ones. In any case, from 4th grade up, it is not Montessori any more, just a school.

That said, it is worth it because the school is small as are the class sizes. By middle school your kid will be in a middle school with less than 100 kids, and all of them they've known their entire lives. The school tends to keep more upper middle class kids. The upshot is the Montessori middle is about 1000X better than our neighborhood middle. When we were there all the middle school teachers were excellent but there is turnover (often a problem in PG county in general).

If you're willing to deal with the drive/bussing I think it is worth it, even if the school is not as Montessori as it used to be.

I also wouldn't discount the Montessori teaching from pre-K through 3rd (if that's still emphasized; it was when we were there). Those are formative reading and writing, math years and the approach to this is unique and very effective in my opinion.

Another perspective here. A small middle school setting like this is not ideal if there is conflict between kids. I have seen this several time in specialty programs and the amount of social drama involved isn't worth small class sizes. Bullying in middle school can be intense and once kids figure out how to push each others buttons it can spiral quickly. Even when a school responds appropriately it causes a lot of unnecessary stress on everyone involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The long history is that it used to be Montessori based in 4-6th grade, and even middle school made attempts (Montessori isn't really designed for beyond 6th grade), but there was a problem of sexual harrassment/bullying one year (between two male students) in 4-6 so they decided to bump the 6th graders up to middle school and keep it at 4th and 5th. Around this time the school got a new principal (not the current one) that was indifferent to Montessori at best. There was also a new state testing regime implemented and she prioritized test scores above all else. There were also problems finding Montessori trainied teachers, although this principal brought in some of her non-Montessori teachers and drove away a few of the good ones. In any case, from 4th grade up, it is not Montessori any more, just a school.

That said, it is worth it because the school is small as are the class sizes. By middle school your kid will be in a middle school with less than 100 kids, and all of them they've known their entire lives. The school tends to keep more upper middle class kids. The upshot is the Montessori middle is about 1000X better than our neighborhood middle. When we were there all the middle school teachers were excellent but there is turnover (often a problem in PG county in general).

If you're willing to deal with the drive/bussing I think it is worth it, even if the school is not as Montessori as it used to be.

I also wouldn't discount the Montessori teaching from pre-K through 3rd (if that's still emphasized; it was when we were there). Those are formative reading and writing, math years and the approach to this is unique and very effective in my opinion.

Another perspective here. A small middle school setting like this is not ideal if there is conflict between kids. I have seen this several time in specialty programs and the amount of social drama involved isn't worth small class sizes. Bullying in middle school can be intense and once kids figure out how to push each others buttons it can spiral quickly. Even when a school responds appropriately it causes a lot of unnecessary stress on everyone involved.

Yes I agree. I actually think that's why they have more attrition in the upper grades. Smaller isn't necessarily better at that age. A lot of kids are wanting to branch out from people they've known since forever even though originally the concept of Pre-K - 8 is reassuring for parents. Having the french immersion school on the same site might help expand middle school social possibilities I feel, if the two schools collaborate.

[Anonymous]

I would not trust ANY school, public or private, that did not let parents tour the school in person or did not let actual parents inside the school at drop-off or pickup times.

Note that I am fine with reasonable measures, such as ID checks, but the notion that parents should blindly trust any place without being able to see it first hand is nuts. Safety first.

[Anonymous]

There is no public school that I know of that allows parents in the building at drop off and pick up. It would be absolute chaos in the main office to get that many people checked in.

Our school allow you to park in the neighborhood and walk your kid to the door of the school but not inside.

Schools are always open on Back To School nights in the fall and if you have a student there, you can always get a teacher conference if you want to see what the classroom is like.
You can also volunteer at the school. I have helped in the library, classroom and cafeteria where they always need an extra pair of hands. If you are going to be in contact with students you will need to be background checked and fingerprinted.