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Old 08-11-2015, 01:25 PM
 
23 posts, read 64,536 times
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We just moved to Austin, rented an apartment, ready for kids go to school. Our base school per address is Elsa England elementary, just informed that my kids got accepted by Harmony school of Science, Austin--hssaustin.org. Any parents here have their kids go to Harmony school of science ( charter school) there? Please share your thoughts and experience. Would love to hear more.
Went to greatschool.com, the reviews for this school is not stellar. so we are hesitate to go. Any imput is welcome. Thanks
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Old 08-11-2015, 01:53 PM
 
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I have a friend who sends their kid there and they love it. Very STEM focused...I honestly think a lot of the negative feedback is because the school is run by a number of Middle Eastern immigrants and several parents and local media members are uncomfortable with that. If anything, that just reduces competition for people like you who want to send their kids there.

The other issue people thank about is the language barrier of the instructors...in all honestly, I was taught by Irish nuns in private school in CA who did not speak English well, but I did very well in school and went to a top-tier college due to their rigorous curriculum.
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Old 08-11-2015, 02:46 PM
 
23 posts, read 64,536 times
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Thanks for your input. Appreciate it. My kids love math and science, sounds like a great place. But looking up in Schooldigger.com, found Harmony school of Science ranks 1555# in texas elementary, Elsa England ranks around 115#. Wondering how schooldigger ranks schools. Elsa England elementary looks better based on the number.
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Old 08-11-2015, 03:05 PM
 
Location: central Austin
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Go and check out each school for yourself. Often a school will be lower on those aggregated rankings because of missing or incomplete data. Go directly to TEA website for the state rankings if you want to make valid comparisons.

I've known plenty of kids who have gone to Harmony Science, they (and their families) all loved it. Only you will know if it is a fit for your kids. You can always go to your zoned school but charter school slots are not always available.
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Old 08-11-2015, 03:14 PM
 
Location: SW Austin & Wimberley
6,333 posts, read 18,049,590 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinDude360 View Post
I have a friend who sends their kid there and they love it. Very STEM focused...I honestly think a lot of the negative feedback is because the school is run by a number of Middle Eastern immigrants and several parents and local media members are uncomfortable with that. If anything, that just reduces competition for people like you who want to send their kids there.

The other issue people thank about is the language barrier of the instructors...in all honestly, I was taught by Irish nuns in private school in CA who did not speak English well, but I did very well in school and went to a top-tier college due to their rigorous curriculum.
There is some immigration loophole that allows the hiring of foreign teachers for STEM in Charter Schools. I just encountered a lot of these math teachers recently during some business transactions. It wasn't clear to me why/how a dense cluster of Turkish people could be assembled into multiple charter schools in multiple cities in Texas, and the subjects of my curiosity didn't even seem to understand the question, so I Googled "Turkish STEM teachers Charter" and found a NY Times article about it from 2011.

The article references a different Charter School that this thread.

I'm not against it per se, but the english communication skills of those I encountered was very limited. Reminded me of some of the Computer Programming TAs at UT back in the early 1990s. Talented but unable converse normally or explain things well.

It's also interesting to me as I researched this a bit deeper, that many foreigners manage to find a way to get into a niche in the US, or learn how to use the systems, rules and laws in ways that are perfectly legal and to their advantage, while so many born and raised here seem too lazy or untalented to go find the opportunities given to them by birthright as a US citizen.

Back to the Charters and foreign teachers, I wouldn't have a problem with it for my own kids as long as the learning was taking place in a measurable way. In fact, maybe being unshackled from some of the typical ISD overhead and Admin frees up the learning environment in a way that overcomes the language/communication deficit.

Steve
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Old 08-11-2015, 03:19 PM
 
Location: central Austin
7,228 posts, read 16,095,392 times
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Texas Monthly has also written several pieces on Harmony Science:

Head of The Class - Texas Monthly
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Old 08-11-2015, 04:56 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
4,573 posts, read 6,778,254 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funplacetolearn View Post
Thanks for your input. Appreciate it. My kids love math and science, sounds like a great place. But looking up in Schooldigger.com, found Harmony school of Science ranks 1555# in texas elementary, Elsa England ranks around 115#. Wondering how schooldigger ranks schools. Elsa England elementary looks better based on the number.
School Digger was the worst of the ranking systems that I have looked at (& most of them are awful). I have no idea how the schools you've asked about are, but I wouldn't give SD's ranking any cred.

I'd look at the standardized scores as opposed to a touchy feely site.
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Old 08-12-2015, 01:14 PM
 
23 posts, read 64,536 times
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I thought school digger ranks schools by testing scores, not based on parents' opinion, thus it's more reliable. Am I wrong? if so, where to see actual testing scores for Austin schools. Thanks

Quote:
Originally Posted by hound 109 View Post
School Digger was the worst of the ranking systems that I have looked at (& most of them are awful). I have no idea how the schools you've asked about are, but I wouldn't give SD's ranking any cred.

I'd look at the standardized scores as opposed to a touchy feely site.
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Old 08-12-2015, 02:37 PM
 
Location: central Austin
7,228 posts, read 16,095,392 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funplacetolearn View Post
I thought school digger ranks schools by testing scores, not based on parents' opinion, thus it's more reliable. Am I wrong? if so, where to see actual testing scores for Austin schools. Thanks
The Texas Education Agency
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Old 08-12-2015, 07:55 PM
 
23 posts, read 64,536 times
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Many thanks!

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Originally Posted by centralaustinite View Post
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