Yet another school question..Franklin academy/st. catherine's in Wake forest (Trinity: preschool, cost)

[nelly76]

Hello all, here is yet another question about schools. Anyone has any info on St. Catherine's in Wake Forest, Likes and dislikes? As far as Franklin academy goes, what do people mean by its not for everyone. I understand its hard to get in, but what is the deal with discipline and a lot of people are saying its not for everyone How is Franklin different. Do they punish kids, are they very strict. I would love to hear from the parents who had their kids there and left and the ones that still have kids in FA. I am strongly considering this school for my 1st grader.

[leighbhe]

Just the "basics" are:

st. catherine's is a catholic school and they integrate that philosophy into the school. I have friends who have kids there and they really love it, all of those friends are catholic and also attend the church. St. catherine's is a private school, and follow their own curriculum, etc.

franklin academy can have 1200 applications for 100 spots, so it is very challenging to get into! Franklin is a charter school, and just had it charter status approved for 10 more years, which means the students are testing at or above grade level, etc. franklin academy uses direct instruction (they have information about it on their website) for all of their grades. Some students are very successful with direct instruction, some do not and I think that is where the differences of opinion come up. I have friends with kids at franklin who love it, and I have just as many who have pulled their kids out to attend traditional public school. Their complaint was about the direct instruction and how their kids enjoyed it.

Both schools have dress codes, with st. catherine's having a uniform and franklin having guidelines (blue and khaki and white).

Hope this helps a little.

Leigh

[NCBoyMommy]

Leigh pretty much gave you everything. Just a couple things to add,

St. Catharine's is often thought of as not having really high academic standards for a private school. So if you are looking for strong academics you might want to look hard at St. Catharine's program and evaluate if it's stringent enough to meet your needs. If you want a Parachiol school that has higher academic standards you might look into NRCA, Trinity, OLL, St. Davids, or the Fransican school.

With Franklin Academy Leigh is right the direct instruction thing is the part that people either like or don't like. It works wonderfully for some kids, not so well for others. It's hard to get in but if you like Franklin and don't get in there is always Thales Academy which is basically the same thing for a low tuition rate.

[nelly76]

sorry for a stupid question, but what is direct instruction in the nutshell. Is is more like Montessori teaching am I going in the right direction? I was researching on-line but if anybody can give me a major difference between regular and DI. This will be very helpful.

[NCBoyMommy]

It's teacher led and a lot of repetition. It was originally for student's with learning disabilities but it's becoming more mainstream. When I looking into Franklin a while back I felt the structure of direct teaching could be rigid enough to hinder the creativity of both the teacher and students. There is very little room to improvise because this method follows a step-by-step procedure.

[weluvwakeforest]

Originally Posted by NCBoyMommy

Leigh pretty much gave you everything. Just a couple things to add,

St. Catharine's is often thought of as not having really high academic standards for a private school. So if you are looking for strong academics you might want to look hard at St. Catharine's program and evaluate if it's stringent enough to meet your needs. If you want a Parachiol school that has higher academic standards you might look into NRCA, Trinity, OLL, St. Davids, or the Fransican school.

With Franklin Academy Leigh is right the direct instruction thing is the part that people either like or don't like. It works wonderfully for some kids, not so well for others. It's hard to get in but if you like Franklin and don't get in there is always Thales Academy which is basically the same thing for a low tuition rate.

Interesting comment about St. Catherine's. I noticed they are advertising in the Wake Weekly - I wonder if they are having issues making enrollment? On the flip side, I know their preschool has an awesome reputation.

[leighbhe]

Here is a link to the direct instruction information from the franklin academy website:

Franklin Academy - Information - Direct Instruction

Leigh

[NCBoyMommy]

You are absolutely right their preschool does have a great reputation but I have not heard that follow over to the school itself.

[NcerfromNY]

I have friends with kids at both -- and there are advantages and disadvantages of each. Cost is a consideration with St. Catherines, as is their discipline policy. FA has strict policies that are too militant for my kids, I just don't think they would ever assimilate. All of the above (and others comments as well) I think the very best thing for you to do is to tour each place and see which one seems right for your kids. If it's FA, cross your fingers, legs, and nose hairs and hope to get one of the precious few spots. I can tell you categorically that getting into first grade there will be a total crap shoot. Craps odds are better!

[nelly76]

Originally Posted by NCBoyMommy

It's teacher led and a lot of repetition. It was originally for student's with learning disabilities but it's becoming more mainstream. When I looking into Franklin a while back I felt the structure of direct teaching could be rigid enough to hinder the creativity of both the teacher and students. There is very little room to improvise because this method follows a step-by-step procedure.

very interesting. I see how it could work and benefit a younger person like in elementary school. It includes a lot of repetition..but in older grades, I don't see how it may work. Although, it says that their HS courses are all AP level. And as far as zero tolerance discipline, what is that.. are they that strict that they are not letting kids be kids?? My kid may need this environment