Skinner Elementary School

We love it at Suder. There is always room for improvement and no school is perfect but this school has been great for us. The administration is responsive and works a great deal to create an inclusive and engaging community for families and kids. The Montessori education is unique in that kids have uninterrupted work blocks where they are not receiving specific instruction and get to choose what they work on and learn. We love it at Suder and will be here with all 3 of our children!

Bennett’s administration frequently failed to communicate effectively. They neglected to inform us when initial problems with our son began, leaving us unaware until situations escalated. School leaned into the behavior concerns and did not see the connection between behavior and academic challenges. In one instance, she called to discuss my son's challenges while he was in the room, ignoring the privacy and sensitivity of the matter.School recommended we have our son tested, because they did not know what more they could do and ‘maybe’ medication was an option. So, yes we had our son tested and learned he has an IQ is in the gifted range and a reading disability. He is a 3rd graders with 1st grade reading skills. Thanks to CPS, he has access to a special education teacher, and in-class support to ensure he can fully participate. Bennet is a great option if your kid does not need support. If you kid needs help, school administration becomes passive aggressive till you leave.

Our son has had a full academic career at Intercultural Montessori Language School spanning pre-K through 8th grade. The strong cohesion between the school's dual language and Montessori programs makes for an exclusive education. Ms. Xiang sets expectations high with her leadership in the Chinese Program! It has been a joy to watch our son grow from simply reciting his numbers and colors in Mandarin to developing a command over the language, both in written form and contextually. Exposing him to one of the most different languages at the age of 3-years, when his brain was hard wired for language reception in an environment that fosters peer and group collaboration, allowed a simple mean of communication to blossom into an integrated love, respect and objectivity for the complexity of cultures that shapes his outlook of the world today. His schooling is light years beyond the obligatory 2-year foreign language high school requirement that I grew up with and not something our single-language family could have offered him otherwise. We greatly value the outcome of his full 11-year immersion education. The school has a strong English reading and writing program as well. I've been impressed with the diversity of our son's writing skills, something that will serve him well as an adult in any profession. Math was an academic weak spot during our time there requiring supplemental support outside of school however, speaking to some of the newer families, that inconsistency is being effectively addressed. You can opt out of the standardized tests the school offers (NWEA MAP). That said, we found them a practical device for measuring strengths and weaknesses and helpful learning experience for him when preparing for the high school entrance exams. Praises for the way Intercultural handled the Covid 2020 shut down! The children were sent home on a Friday in March and by Monday morning, they were fully virtual. Come September, classes were back in-person with social distancing measures in place and a strong Covid protocol on how to handle a community outbreak without shutting down the entire school. Intercultural didn't miss a beat the benefits of a small school with strong leadership!Our family had a comfortable experience with the administration. Any issues were addressed quickly and respectivelyNo school is perfect and you will have to advocate for your child along the way, but I whole-heartedly believe that Intercultural is one of Chicago's distinct gems!