Interview Series-No. 5

Parent: This parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, transitioned her children from a private school to a DPS.

Q: Describe your transitional experience or scenario.

A:Our oldest son is in second grade.  He attended a private school for Kindergarten and first grade.   He found it difficult to transition to a traditional classroom.  He was significantly behind in math and reading.  We transitioned him to a public school and they are doing an excellent job providing extra assistance to ensure his academic success.

Our middle child entered Kindergarten at the start of the year.  The staff at his new school met with us to review his academic assessments.  It was determined that he was testing at a first grade level.  The school did a great job transitioning him to first grade after eight weeks in Kindergarten.

Q: What circumstances led to this decision?

A:The private school we initially attended was not able to meet our oldest child’s academic needs.

Q: What type of school did your child previously attend and what type of school do they attend now?

A:Our children previously attended a private school in Denver.  The lower grades are mixed classes (Kindergarten-second grade).   The classrooms are very open and designed to allow the students to move about freely.  There is a significant difference between each of the lower grade classrooms; some are more academic than others.

We toured one particular DPS two years ago when we were looking for Kindergarten options for our oldest son.  We were very impressed with the school and filed a choice application.  Our son was accepted at the private school a month before we received information concerning our DPS application. They required a non-refundable $1500 deposit the week you receive your acceptance.  We decided to enroll at this private school because we were unsure of our status at the DPS we choiced into (this has been an ongoing problem with DPS– private schools accept students earlier and require deposits almost immediately).  Families may find it difficult to wait to see if they are accepted to their school of choice.

When we revisited our DPS options, we felt the DPS we choiced into a couple years ago would provide extra academic assistance as well as a more diverse community. This school was not our neighborhood school. In the end, we decided to enroll our children in a DPS because it could provide better assistance to our oldest child who could benefit tremendously with a more qualified reading specialist.

Q: How do the educational experiences differ?

A: The schools are completely different.  DPS is able to provide better academic assistance to children who are struggling.  There appears to be better accountability and follow through when concerns are raised.  The private school we attended is an extraordinary place.  It is a fun and creative environment.  However, the school is notoriously slow when addressing academic concerns or identifying learning disabilities. In my opinion, the lower grade reading specialist was unqualified.  Several students in Kindergarten, first and second grade receive private tutoring outside the classroom.

Q: What advice can you give that will help others when going through a similar experience?

A: Unfortunately, this particular private school could not provide the academic assistance that our son needed. With that being said, the Head Master is amazing and is working hard to address this issue. As a parent, you must advocate for your child whatever their educational needs may be. If the school fails your child, you may have to explore other options. This was the case with our family. Now my son is getting the attention and services he needs to thrive as a learner.