Charter School of New Castle

Family Foundation has been both the gift & a curse for me & my girls. While My daughters DCAS testing has improved, the school lacks effective communication and professionalism. I think with some fine tuning it could be a great school.

I have children in grades 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th attending Family Foundations Academy. When my children first started at this school 3 years ago, I was hopeful and excited about what they had to offer; the curriculum sounded awesome, staff members seemed family oriented and there was a “no bully zone” policy. However, over the course of those three years, my experience with FFA has become less than desirable.
The curriculum is on par with public schools and may be even slightly better; however, the school lacks the basic resources needed to fully implement the curriculum. I often wonder where the teachers received their degrees; if the possess them at all. They say over and over to “check the website” but when you do, the information listed is outdated, confusing or nonexistent. It is very difficult to help children with homework when no instructions are given or you don’t have complete information. Also, I personally feel that too much emphasis is placed on handwriting. Yes handwriting is a lost art; yes it’s important to have neat and legible penmanship. But honestly, should it be its own class? Or should it be an extension of English? I work in a professional setting… I couldn't’t tell you the last time I wrote anything is cursive. This is not realistic in today’s society.
There seems to be a high turnover rate with the staffing at FFA. This leaves the children with a feeling of instability, which is extremely important at this stage in their lives. Two of my children are now on their 3rd math teacher this year. That is awful. How can a child learn properly or retain information when they are constantly getting familiar with different teaching styles? Additionally I find most of the teachers and staff to lack professionalism and compassion for their students. Children are denied bathroom breaks, are told to shut up and request to go to the nurse go unnoticed. One teacher told the students that “they don’t have any rights”. Three weeks ago, my son was grabbed by his shirt collar by a teachers assistant; I have yet to hear back from Dr. Brewington regarding this, even though I have placed four phone calls and spoken to the receptionist. It seems that the way to get a response from this school is to stoop to their level and act just as rudely as they do. This is not the environment I want my children to learn in.
This “No Bully Zone” policy is the biggest joke of all. Students are constantly bullied and nothing is done about it. Children are allowed to run amuck in this school, meanwhile very minor offenses (such as making a noise in class) get you sent to the dean’s office and the parent gets a disruptive and unnecessary phone call at work. When students are not being bullied by other students, they have the teachers to worry about; the biggest bullies in the school. Children are treated with disrespect and talked down to. When you complain to Dr. Brewington, you get a generic response “We don’t condone this behavior but we can’t control blah blah blah.” Again this is not the environment I want my children to learn in.
I tried to no avail, to remove my children from FFA. I was told by the DOE that after a certain date, no school will except transfers from FFA because FFA will not release the funding. If I had it my way, my children would have been taken out of Family Foundations Academy. They will not be returning next year. If you are considering this school for your children, carefully way all of your options and do your research. Talk to other parents and talk to students you know that attend FFA. All that glitters is not gold!

I found this school after agonizing over where I would send my child,
after a tour I immediately fell in love with the school and the vision.
Parent involvement is key.

I pulled my child out of Colwyck last yr after enrolling him in FFA. Even with his LD
he pulled his grades up higher than I ever saw. The school is a great school. He loves the teachers and staff and wouldn't go back to the regular public school. I tell him when he wont listen that I will send him back to his old school he tells me no and listens afterwards.