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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
We left Adams because of widespread behavior problems, including bullying, and unchallenging academics. Extracurricular programs are nice, but that's really not what has been missing from Adams.

I'd like to see (effective) emphasis on appropriate behavior and much more serious commitment to differentiated learning for strong students. I'd also like a dialing back of the self-congratulatory rhetoric that keeps Adams mediocre. Bilingual education is a very good thing, and the education itself should continue, but let's not put the cart before the horse! The phrase "commitment to bilingual education" gets used as an automatic deflector to excuse Oyster Adams from all other responsibilities that a school responsive to the needs of its strongest students ought to fulfill.[/quote]

Stayed through 6th. Of course, this was a few years ago and things may have changed. But the unchallenging academics in math and science were the two things that pushed our kid to leave. DC is not a genius, but enjoys learning. [b]The science class seemed non-existent, and had no hands-on lab.[/b] Science Fair was an exercise for the parents to figure out. Math was spending one week on concepts that should have taken one day, but until everyone was ready to move on, no one did. Teachers also spent an inordinate amount of time trying to manage poor behavior, with no support from any of the principals.

Too late for us, but if I were moving over to Adams, I would like to see a principal who understands differentiated learning and puts it into the curriculum. (Again, maybe they already have, but we wouldn't know) Expectations of behavior should be high, and enforced. Science should not be a "special," but something that is an everyday subject. And teachers shouldn't be "teaching" just because they speak Spanish. Teachers should be teaching because they are qualified.

Bilingual education is a great thing, and some of the dedicated teachers and sports team instructors are great. By middle school, that's not enough anymore. There is no comparison with Deal as far as academics are concerned. In addition, behavior management is much better.

[/quote]

Science is now a core subject at Adams, not a special.  Srta. Dronda, the science teacher, is terrific.  DC started the year not very excited about the 6th grade curriculum, but ended up learning a ton about space, the formation of planets, plate tectonics, volcanoes and lots of other stuff that is good to know but not very interesting to most kids.  The fact that DC learned so enthusiastically seemed like a real endorsement of Srta. Dronda.   [/quote]

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