Derby Down
Madison, WI 53713

My child attended Cherokee for 6-8th grade. I think any middle school will have challenges, as it is a challenging age. My child really loved their teachers and classes. Their teacher worked with them to get additional projects to challenge them further. Some students are struggling, and so the teachers need to spend more time with the struggling students. There was on year when we had some concerns with the math instruction. The teacher was not prepared and had not been given the support she needed to be successful. She did not have a clear curriculum and there were just worksheets. However, my child was still able to succeed and completed Geometry by the end of 8th grade (through the gifted program).My child made a lot of good friends. I know that the school has attempted to deal with behavioral issues and bullying by creating the restorative justice program. My child was a facilitator for this and learned how to help other work through their issues rather than taking a punitive approach.Many of the teachers truly love what they are doing and have been there for years. One example is the band teacher, who has been there for more than 20 years. She is amazing and truly cares about her students. There are also some great math teachers.

We moved schools for my son, all is good in DLI but for studnets of color who are in the ELI program or students with behavioral needs they are pushed to the sides. Staff cares but the violence and behavioral problems are deeply concerning. Equity is a huge problem at this school. Restorative justice is not being implemented in an affective fashion.

My sister goes to West, and she tells me how much she loves it there. They have hour-long lunches (unlike Cherokee Heights MIddle School), and she tells me about how kind and likable all of the teachers are. Even the gym teacher is incredibly thoughtful and observes the students to see what activities they enjoy the most. She also had a recent project where she'd get to choose what she wanted to do as like a fun menu styled thing. At West, they actually value kids enjoying and participating in their education (unlike Cherokee Heights Middle School). Overall, this school has been an incredible experience for my sister and I'm VERY excited to leave Cherokee and go there.