Vantaggi
Teachers and paraprofessional staff are dedicated to STUDENTS. Strong, positive vision.
Svantaggi
Scripted lesson plans are not sustainable and do not allow for adjustment on the spot. No creativity allowed for teachers. The long school day does not take in to consideration stages of child development....is an academic day of 9 hours a reasonable demand for a 10 year old child? Students are not allowed to be "kids": forced, silent transitions in a straight line; no spontaneity; required silence for the duration of a class (90 minutes). Staff required to work 10 hours on site without breaks or scheduled duty-free lunches; high rate of turn-over in teaching staff (75 to 80% yearly); micro-management; loss of planning periods occurs frequently. Social promotion of students does them a disservice when it occurs year after year. By October the culture normally begins to fall apart and the administration reacts in a way that pushes the line of what is an abusive manner.