Thoughts on Linder Academy?

[Anonymous]

Any word if they got accredited?

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Linder. We are new this year. My daughter has a visual-spatial learning disability, and she has jumped 2 full grade levels in reading within 6 months at this school! They use *real* Orton-Gillingham (every teacher is certified). There are 5 kids in her math cohort. 5 in her English Language Arts (aka reading/writing) cohort. 9 in her homeroom grade. The playground is small (it's in Old Town though so that's to be expected). The school does have a bit of a startup vibe. But it's working and that's what matters—both from an academic and social perspective. My daughter is thriving, and I can't rave enough about it.

Also, people talked about it being chaotic. That has not been our experience at all. We're new this year, and so far, communication is great. They use an app called ParentSquare for daily updates about what they did in the classroom each day. Her teacher also sends personal notes every few days letting me know how she's doing in class. When I ask questions, I get responses from her teachers within a few hours. Can't ask for more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at Linder. We are new this year. My daughter has a visual-spatial learning disability, and she has jumped 2 full grade levels in reading within 6 months at this school! They use *real* Orton-Gillingham (every teacher is certified). There are 5 kids in her math cohort. 5 in her English Language Arts (aka reading/writing) cohort. 9 in her homeroom grade. The playground is small (it's in Old Town though so that's to be expected). The school does have a bit of a startup vibe. But it's working and that's what matters—both from an academic and social perspective. My daughter is thriving, and I can't rave enough about it.

Also, people talked about it being chaotic. That has not been our experience at all. We're new this year, and so far, communication is great. They use an app called ParentSquare for daily updates about what they did in the classroom each day. Her teacher also sends personal notes every few days letting me know how she's doing in class. When I ask questions, I get responses from her teachers within a few hours. Can't ask for more!

You may want to get an independent assessment at some point.

[Anonymous]

I looked at the school and thought that the head of school was telling me whatever I wanted to hear to enroll my kid. We ended up at another private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You may want to get an independent assessment at some point.

We've had an independent OG assessment (through a special ed tutor we've been working with for years who's a coach with Fairfax County), and an iReady assessment. It's legit.

[Anonymous]

I looked into it last year but it isn't an accredited school so no matter how good they look on paper, I won't consider it an option for my 2E child. If they won't publish information on their accreditation process and/or a timeline for when they will be accredited then I have to assume they are not a serious school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You may want to get an independent assessment at some point.

We've had an independent OG assessment (through a special ed tutor we've been working with for years who's a coach with Fairfax County), and an iReady assessment. It's legit.

Glad to hear. The testing results we were given were inaccurate. Seems like they were just trying to tell us what we wanted to hear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked at the school and thought that the head of school was telling me whatever I wanted to hear to enroll my kid. We ended up at another private.

Of something is too good to be true…

[Anonymous]

The teachers are wonderful but not well-supported, meaning that the turnover rate among staff is very high. IEPs are not followed with fidelity and teachers are often limited from telling the full truth about students who are struggling. Parents who figure out what is going on yank their children, and so the family turnover rate is also very high. The head of school requires all major decisions to go through her, but she barely darkens the door of the place and is now focused on starting a high school. There is no path to accreditation in the works because the school wouldn't qualify if it tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are wonderful but not well-supported, meaning that the turnover rate among staff is very high. IEPs are not followed with fidelity and teachers are often limited from telling the full truth about students who are struggling. Parents who figure out what is going on yank their children, and so the family turnover rate is also very high. The head of school requires all major decisions to go through her, but she barely darkens the door of the place and is now focused on starting a high school. There is no path to accreditation in the works because the school wouldn't qualify if it tried.

Resulting in teachers who only have 1 week of training and no actual experience with OG.

Great concept. Poor execution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even know what a “nimble approach” is supposed to mean, much less why it should cause (or not) any red flags.

I don’t know what it means either. And never hear such phrasing. So when two separate positive posts (in a pretty short thread), including one with particularly detailed optimistic review of the school, mention it, I assume it’s not two separate parents posting reviews. Rather that it is an owner, employee, investor, teacher, etc. If anybody in those positions wants to identify themself and provide input, I’m certain that’s welcome here. But more than one instance of strange turns of phrase as a parent reviewer made me assume dishonesty was at play to influence readers.

This may be my own paranoia towards online marketing schemes and such, especially in an anonymous forum.

I used the word nimble in my comments about my child's experience at Linder because it is a small school that is relatively new, so the teachers have to be creative and flexible and wear many hats. They are working with a population of kids who need extra support over a broad range of learning and social communication challenges. And they continue to impress me every day as they juggle all the things while helping my kid thrive. It's not easy! I am a parent of a student at the school, not a marketing scheme. I am finally enthusiastic about a chapter in my child's education. It has been a long road to get here! Feel free to DM me if you are still uncomfortable with my phrasing.

[Anonymous]

I am also a parent of a child at Linder. The school has had two teachers quit mid-year this year alone. It is not a stable environment, especially for children who need extra support.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone compare Linder to Sycamore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am also a parent of a child at Linder. The school has had two teachers quit mid-year this year alone. It is not a stable environment, especially for children who need extra support.

+1

The chaos is unsettling.

[Anonymous]

I am a current parent of a student at Linder. My child is about to enter their 3rd year there. We think this school is the best thing that could have happened for him. Our very highly rated Fairfax County elementary school could do next to nothing for our kid. He is incredibly intelligent, but has some significant social challenges (2E) and anxiety. He used to hate going to school and now loves it. He has formed great bonds with some of his teachers there and is excited about projects and lessons. He comes home talking about what he has learned. He never did that before. We had not heard of Linder until our son’s Psychiatrist and also his therapist told us about it. For us, for his needs, this was the best decision ever. The head of school, Kristin, is impressive and also accessible. Her administrators are terrific. Most, not all of the teachers have been very good. Those that haven’t been have not lasted. I don’t understand the comments about chaos, as the environment seems pretty controlled to me. Far, far less chaotic than the large classroom sizes of our McLean area elementary school. For less bullying and lots more attention on helping to support the whole child, not just focus on academics. But the focus on academics is there, as well. Communication between teachers and administrators, and parents is excellent. I am sure the school is not for everyone — In fact, it certainly does cater to certain needs and certain types of children. I don’t think those who haven’t really gotten to know the school should be posting such strong negative commentary. My husband and I are so grateful that Linder exists. Our son’s social and academic progress speaks volumes.