Research Woodrow Wilson Charter Academy charter Schools in Denver, Colorado

“This is my third year at WWA. I have a second grader and a kindergartner attending. The teachers and staff have been wonderful! Both of my children love their school. Parent involvement is high, and the administration works hard to take the school in the direction it should be going. I have, and will continue to recommend this school to other parents.”

“My child is in the middle school at WWA and we love it. They do a lot of hands-on activities in science and are learning to do high-school level writing of research reports in both language arts and history. The number of electives is more than we could find anywhere else -- my child is completely thrilled that he can take classes like History of Rock-n-Roll, Web Design, and 3-D Sculpture. We're so glad we chose WWA over our neighborhood middle school -- my son loves school more than he ever has before!”

“I am a parent of a former student that attended WWA. While in K-5 my child flourished. I contribute this to the wonderful and caring teachers she had (not 1 of these teachers still teach at WWA). In Middle School, I felt there were too many staff changes and no consistency due to the constant turnover. I stuck it out while telling myself that I was doing the 'right' thing for my child. After all, I was told Charter Schools were much better than the average public school. Now that my child is in high school, this is so far from the truth. My child lacks in Math and Science skills. I contribute this to inconsistency of the Middle School teachers and the present Administration who oversees them and the curriculum. As a parent, if I could do it over, I would not send my child to this charter school.”

“I have been going to WWA for 6 years. Even though I moved schools, it was not because of the school its self. Woodrow is I have to say one of the best schools. All of the parents are volunteering so there is a lot of parent involvement. There is a few things that could change though so if you were thinking about being a wildcat please take a tour and talk to your grades teachers it will help.”

“I am an educator at WWA. I can truly say that I love where I teach and I love coming to school every day. We have a supportive administration who makes fair decisions based on what's best for all. As an adult, one must understand that no school is without fault at some point. The part that matters most is how the fault is handled and how strong it comes out afterwards. I believe Woodrow is getting stronger and stronger every year that I have been there- this year actually being the best yet. I will continue to support this school because I believe in it and its cause.”

“My husband and I are both educators and have worked in many different school settings. WWA, by far, is one of the best we have seen. Our children are learning way above grade level and are learning so many life lessons. It saddens me to see so many poor remarks about the school from parents who are so unhappy. As an educator, I see so many 'helicopter parents' who just swoop in and remove their kids from any situation which could be used as a learning opportunity. Life will always be full of difficulties and hardships, but how you choose to deal with them is important. The administration, teachers and staff are so good at teaching kids about life and the choices they make, both positive and negative. This school is amazing in nuturing, exciting and motiviating students in every way. I would highly recommend this school to anyone!”

“We left WWA because of bullying, administration and concerns about the curriculum. All of my children were in the advanced classes and received A s but I still had concerns. Those concerns have been confirmed at our new school. All of the kids have big gaps in math. We are now working at home to fill holes. If you are considering this school, don t be blindly led to believe that because it is a charter school your child will get a better education than a regular public school. If you are a parent of a student, don t listen to a certain group of parents because of who they are or how loud their voices are. Do what is right for your child. I am glad that we left when we did and my children still have the opportunity to receive a quality education that will prepare them for the future.”

“After reading many of the recent negative comments, I want to remind parents that their concern should be their children's education. My children are getting an excellent education at Woodrow Wilson! I trust the administration to work on concerns I have - that I make them aware of. Some solutions take research and time to address. Just because WWA is a charter school with many parents to help guide it along, that doesn't mean individual requests can always be granted. Life doesn't work that way. It sounds like a few parents have taken their treatment here as a personal attack istead of looking at the big picture and how many decisions are made for the good of all students and the future of the school. I will continue to support WWA fully and trust the teachers and administration to keep WWA as the superior school it is.”

“Excellent curriculum, teachers, adminstrators and parents! We're attending for our 4th year and think this is a wonderful school! Thank you WWA!”

“It s easy to post comments anonymously, but I stand by my opinions strongly enough to put my name on them. Some parents who have posted negative comments here had an issue with one teacher whose style was bolder than what we d grown accustomed to at WWA. My son had her for 3 subjects last year, and I know he s a stronger student because of it. The most effective teachers in this world you know, the ones they make those inspirational movies about - are not the ones who fade into the woodwork, but the ones who are brave enough stand out. They aren't afraid to reach out in unconventional ways. They emanate the same confidence they seek to inspire. They challenge kids to laugh as much as they learn. I applaud this teacher, and I support the WWA administration for standing by her. -- Kristen Kent, WWA parent since 2002”

“We've been very happy with WWA over the years. This year during registration I really saw the true WWA -- a group of caring and compassionate people whose first concern is the safety and education of our children. My child was diagnosed with a serious health issue over the summer, and I can't even express how impressed I am with the hoops so many people are going through to make sure my child can return to school to have a safe and successful school year. Add to that the overwhelming support we've received from administration, teachers, and other families and I know we've made the right choice for our kids. Thanks WWA!”

“We've been at this school for six years and we're very happy. Sure, there have been some issues, but I've always found all the staff, including the current administration, to be very proactive and responsive when approached in a calm and collaborative manner. I have one child who needs extra help and another that needs to be better challenged, and both their needs are met at WWA. My sister teaches elementary school and based on what she has told me, the bullying issues at WWA are typical, and at least WWA has put programs into place to create a 'bully-free zone' -- too bad some families weren't able to stick around to see how they worked.”

“WWA used to be a good school. But as I walked in to register my kids a few days ago, I got this sinking feeling in my gut, and at the last minute turned around and walked out. Bullying has been a huge problem at this school, and even when I made the staff aware that my child was being bullied, nothing changed. Plus, my older child was being taught the same old stuff except perhaps in math. Tuesday morning they all started public school. No more sinking feelings. Best of luck to those who stay.”

“I've been very happy with Woodrow Wilson Academy. When my child was being bullied, the teacher as well as the EA stepped up to take care of the situation. I'm sadden by all the bad reports about this school by some parents. My experience has been great!!! I would recommend this school to any one.”

“We also left the school after a number years. My children suffered bullying not only from students but from teachers as well. The administration and some of the teachers do not want to address problems. Also there are so many worksheets and lecturing not many hands-on activites which is the best way to learn.”

“I am a parent who has also decided to leave WWA. This decision was made after trying to effect change by becoming involved not gossiping. Once I became involved, I found a climate that did not allow parents to question what was happening in the school, a climate of us against them. Us being those that supported the board and director and believed that if their child was not experiencing problems then there were no problems, and them being those parents that asked questions in hopes of creating change for all children and were ultimately labeled as problem parents. I also found a very unhealthy environment that created division among parents, staff and even the children. This negative environment is the direct result of the director s leadership and ultimately the board s refusal to hold the director accountable. As a result of this experience, we will not attend another charter school.”

“We have also removed our children from WWA. The administration was not responsive to our children's needs. Too many worksheets and not enough thought provoking learning.”

“My children have been enrolled since 1999. I've been very involved with WWA, and have sadly watched it morph into a school I can't trust. After serious issues arose, I went to administration, and then the board, but was completely blown off. They didn't bother to respond to a single thing I had to say. Not even a 'We'll check into this.' Curriculum changed drastically as well. My kids - even my half-day Kindergartner - often have up to two hours homework a night - some of it things they hadn't yet been taught. Practically everything they learned came off, or was read off, a worksheet. Instead of greater challenges for my advanced children, they received vast amounts of busy work. Another child of mine fell through the cracks in math in part because the aide graded papers rather than the teacher. I can't recommend WWA to anyone.”

“I have also pulled my children from this school and am very disappointed in the leadership and quality that the school offers. There have been many families who have left and many teachers who are not happy with the leadership at Woodrow. Administration does not create a good, positive learning environment for the students. They are never in the classrooms helping the teachers and they do not keep updated with any student progress. As I have been told, they simply hand out the curriculum to teach and go back into their offices for the rest of the day. My hope is that more families will be educated on the type of school this really is and begin to see what is 'really' happening behind closed doors.”

“I m very disappointed by the negative reviews posted on this site about WWA. My children have attended WWA since it first opened. I can personally attest that any time I have had a concern over the years (and I ve had some big ones!) I have found the teachers and administration to be responsive, understanding, and willing to help. I also have first-hand experience with the staff and intervention team reaching out to struggling students who don t officially qualify for special services. The bottom-line is that WWA is full of dedicated families and excellent teachers who don t deserve the negative comments posted here. My hope for this upcoming school year is that the families who created so much negativity did choose to leave their strategy of spreading gossip rather than trying to initiate change has done a huge disservice to the entire WWA community, including their own children.”

“I love this school and I am proud to be a wildcat!”

“I have pulled all of my children this year because I have been extremely disappointed with the administration and the lack of quality of many of the teachers. I do want to state that there are a few exceptional teachers that need to be acknowledged, but a couple have been fed up with the administration and have left WWA. I think the most shocking concern is the maintaining of troublesome staff year after year. The office staff talks down about the school and creates a back stabbing atmosphere. They school has dedicated parents and some very dedicated teachers but needs a strong leadership and is not getting it from the current administration. Those in charge need to wake up and make some big changes if it wants this school to succeed.”

“We have also taken our children out of this school and will be returning to our neighborhood public school. The administration is very weak, unresponsive and unprofessional. Bullying has been, and continues to be a major problem school wide. The middle school is a nightmare. Teachers don t have the training/experience to deal with this age group and it shows in the inappropriate discipline and lack of classroom control. My child was constantly frustrated by the children whose out-of-control behavior took away from his learning time. The board refuses to hold the principal accountable. If you are not part of the board of directors clique then your concerns will not be heard or addressed. The sign outside the school claims that WWA nurtures, motivates and excites children to learn. We could not have found this statement to be further from the truth.”

“I have been very disappointed with this 'charter school'. My step son has been 3 years behind in reading for the last 3 years; the counselor is supposed to meet with him on a weekly basis and does not, all the teachers keep saying 'he is just so close' but nothing gets better. There has also been consistant bullying going on at this school and the staff there don't seem to do anything about it but make excuses. Needless to say next year he will be attending another area public school.”

“We have been very disappointed with WWA this year. The current principal s leadership skills are weak and ineffective and he is non-responsive to parent concerns. Discipline and bullying are a huge problem school wide. We are looking at other options for our children.”

“We've been at WWA for 2yrs. I have kids in 1st & 3rd grade. We left the neighborhood school because my older child was often bored, and there were no options to challenge him other than pulling him out of class or skipping a grade. At WWA, my children are thriving academically. They learn facts and ideas at least a year ahead of their friends in non-Core Knowledge schools. We have a fantastic group of teachers and administrators who constantly go above & beyond. Also, the school just expanded and it's wonderful to have a (large) new gym, computer lab, and more room for the kids' activities. Next year I'll be the proud mom of 3 Wildcats!”

“We have been parents at WWA for 6 wonderful years. Parent involvement is very high. The new build is beautiful. We now have new gym, library,& tech lab. The teachers are nurturing and caring. The middle school needs more extracurricular activities- sports.”

“We have been very happy at WWA. Our Kindergartener absolutely loved school and always came home excited and ready to learn more. The school has very good communication to the parents and the parent involvement in the school really makes a huge difference.”

“We loved our time at Woodrow Wilson Academy! The teachers staff and parents were wonderful. My son learned more in half day kindergarten at Woodrow that a full day at our previous school. I only wish there was a school like Woodrow Wilson where we live now.”

“We generally like WWA, with a few exceptions. The lack of a gym, band, sports, etc. is difficult. The elementary school is very good, but the middle school has a few questionable teachers. However, the art and english teachers are exceptional!”

“Both of my children attend WWA and I am very happy with the education that they are receiving. The small class sizes along with outstanding teachers have made my kids learn to love school.”

“Both of my children had previously been in private schools. I am so happy that we made the change to attend WWA - my kids are thriving academically and socially. It is the best school in the Denver Metro area by far. The teaching staff and administrative staff are the best. I highly recommend this school to everyone.”

“This school is very parent/student oriented. It is on the small side which I like. They are a new school and are expanding.”

“My children have been attending since 2001, I have one in 4th and one in 8th. Woodrow Wilson has an amazing teaching staff, mostly young, with brilliant teaching methods and willing to try new things. The facility is limited at this time but there are plans to expand in the next year: 2005. With a large volunteering parent community and excellent PTO and Board of Directors, each year provides more variety. The middle school is just ramping up, the kids got lockers this year and they have their choice of electives, while maintaining the basics in the Core Knowledge curriculum. With the small class size, you rarely see the social issues found at larger middle schools. The younger grades are phenomenal, they've been rock solid for years and the CSAP scores have gone through the roof.”