Paideia Academy Charter School

We have really enjoyed our time at Paideia. My daughter is in first grade, and I'll have a kindergartner next year. The years have not been totally easy. There were some low MCA scores last year that caused a lot of families to leave. That is after some years of turmoil and turnover, and several different directors. Those issues are real, and I don't want to ignore that problems have happened. But that is not the end of the story. There is currently a parent-teacher team actively working on strategies for academic improvement, and a good number of committed families are now stepping up to get our school back to thriving and growing!

I love the school for several reasons, especially these things:

1.) The community and culture - Paideia has a close-knit community feel. I feel very close to several families in our school, and I know that I would not get that "everyone knows everyone" feeling at our local, much larger school. The culture of Paideia continues to be very accepting, warm, and anti-bullying. Kids treat each other very well in part because the school pro-actively teaches principles of including others and identifying bullying behavior and telling an adult if needed.

2.) The teachers - I don't know all of them, but there are many smart, dedicated, innovative, and just amazing people. They know and care for our kids in so many ways. They do their best to individualize learning for different kids at different levels. There is a good special ed team in place for kids with learning disabilities.

3.) Healthy food emphasis - We teach this at home, and I love that it is not undermined at school with kids eating candy for snack time while my child has fruit or cheese.

4.) The alternative school year schedule - Kids are ready to go back in August; and in exchange we are about to start a 3 week winter break! I love being relaxed for 3 whole weeks in winter and spring and 2 weeks in the fall! I really feel like I got a rest from the go-go-go of school, and time to do fun things with my child.

5.) Uniforms - They make mornings so simple, and greatly reduce kids comparing themselves to each other or being distracted by what kids are wearing (or the lack thereof!). It's not expensive for the families either - you can just buy any black or khaki pants and black/red/white polo shirts. Families often donate things they grew out of to new families.

There will be some changes for next year (2016). Paideia will almost for sure having bussing next year which will really help enrollment. There will be a new director in 2016 as the current one has chosen to leave after this school year. And there will be some good changes to academics and policies. There team I mentioned is called the Continuous Improvement Team, and it is working on changes (first looking at root causes) for next year that will give the school definition and direction. The families who founded it 10 years ago have graduated, and some things they stood for and valued have slid. This is a chance to really hone in on what the school is going to be, and how it is going to set students and teachers up for success in years to come.

So if you are looking for a school that has it all together, do not join Paideia. But if you are looking for a different experience for your child - a school where parents really have a voice and are needed and wanted, a place where teachers are constantly working on meeting your individual child's needs, a school where your kid can know everyone one in his grade, and a place where your whole family can join a great community where parents and teachers are working together for success, please come. It's not perfect, and these next couple years will have growing pains; but the future is bright. My child loves school and is thriving at Paideia. We are excited about the years to come.

This is our fourth year at Paideia and have had a great experience. The things we love most are the people: wonderful teachers and staff, and the community feel with the other families. The other things we like are the uniforms, the school schedule, and the ability to really be involved in our children's education. Our students are thriving there.

I am concerned specially with the MCA test scores....if just about 50% meet or exceed state standards, I question the quality of education. Compared to other charter schools in Twin Cities, the MCA score states that this charter school is not worth putting you child in.

Paideia is a wonderful school and we have not experienced any of the issues the previous poster mentioned. In fact, my children have thrived at Paideia. We have had fantastic & dedicated teachers, love the small class sizes, and the ability to take a foreign language and high-quality art and music instruction at all levels. The academic standards are high and the children are able to work at their own ability levels, not the one-size-fits-all mentality they experienced in their previous highly touted public school district. In short, it's a wonderful school and parents just have to remember they do not run the school and are welcome to leave if they are not happy. The previous poster sounds like the type that will have problems wherever they go.

After 1 1/2 years at Paideia, I can honestly say that they do not provide the superior educational experience that they promise. The quality of the education does not even compare favorably to a mediocre public school. The director has no real accountability and as a result the school is deteriorating quickly. The administration is very good at playing politics and spewing half-truths to appease the masses. The teachers are also not held accountable so there are many who view the students and the parents as an annoyance - some are more than willing to tell you that if you ask! State mandated transportation is circumvented by the board's generous offer to, very literally, call a cab for your Kindergartner! That tells you all that you need to know about how the school feels about their students and families.

And if a family with a child enrolled at the school should be so bold as to bring a concern to the attention of the director they will be told that "Paideia is a school of choice, and if you don't like they way we do it, then you are more than welcome to NOT choose it!"

Terrible school, with a dictatorial director and a powerless board of directors. There are a few good teachers remaining, so if you do choose to attend, be sure that you don't complain about anything or your student will not see any of them!

There are three essential elements that making teaching at Paideia Academy such a rewarding experience: the families, the staff, and the flexibility. The kids come to school ready to go, with a smile on their faces. They are ready to learn, and parents are ready to support the decisions we make as teachers. It is a wonderful feeling to know all of our classroom families by name and to be able to get to know them as they spend time volunteering in the classroom. The staff here at Paideia is a very supportive group of peers who all are willing to work together to meet all goals, easy and difficult. Having three teachers for two classrooms at every grade level helps us meet the needs of each student, and also allows us a lot of flexibility with how we teach the content in each subject area. The learning and teaching environments at Paideia Academy cannot be beat!