Kiser Elementary School

I've been a parent with this school for 5 years and have two children here currently. It's a good school and the staff really gets to know the students and work to create a learning environment that is conducive to productivity. The over all score for this school is low, I think because it is school that welcomes many immigrant children from different countries a and not only are there cultural differences but language barriers that often affect test scores. They do REALLY well with children who do not speak English. My daughter is in her last year this year and she is a pistol and I feel the staff (in particular, the previous principal and the female black teachers) have REALLY been advocates for her success and have worked with me to ensure she gets the best education she can. That's not to say that the white teachers have not, they have as well, but I feel they often times have inadvertently tried to police her moreso.... but she's no walk in the park, so it has all been a balancing act. My son is currently a 2nd grader, and had been identified as gifted which I am grateful because he has the tendency to be a behavior problem. He can be very challenging for the teachers and they handle with firmness and high expectation. Which I love. Overall, this school needs improvement in certain areas, but it is by far (in my opinion) the best elementary school in DPS. It is not a true Montessori because it is a public school, so there is still a certain type of systematic structure that you see in the other schools here at this school. But it does stay true to a lot of Montessori ways and teaching. If you're thinking of DPS schools for your little one, this is a good one. There are different family activities that the parents association puts on throughout the year. Daddy/daughter dance and Mother/Son event. Educational fieldtrips and more!

We made a mistake sending our child here. There were many good things about the teachers from other grade level but not for our child s class. We e-mailed the Montessori Education and were told that the punishment that our child and his friends were receiving by his teacher were not a Montessori practice. A few of the students left the same year we did. We feel that this school (just from this one teacher s class) has not met our expectations of a nurturing environment as is practice by the Montessori system.

Unfortunately I did not speak up many years ago, specifically in between 1998-2000, my daughter was punished due to the principal's lack of concern re: bullying. My daughter was bullied and the principa refusd to treat the other child's behavior as such. I hope that this school has selected faculty with a more compassionate nature and understanding of children's behavior. I have always recommended to other parents to NOT select this school due to the lack of empathy and a 1950's attitude toward students. Thank you.