Progressive education options in Austin (Atlanta: school, relocating, free)

[capcat]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Progressive in Texas means something very different from Progressive in the NE.

If you really want to be progressive, you'll send your kids to East Austin for some honest to goodness diversity. Unfortunately, many of those schools, according to NCLB standards are rated 'academically unacceptable'. So...you'll need to make some concessions.

We did that. My daughter attended Sims Elementary for 1st and 2nd grade, during mandatory bussing. It was a tough decision to send her because she was so young, but I'm glad we did. As things turned out, it was the perfect time. She's grown and has a PhD, so we apparently didn't do harm academically.

[texastea]

I don't know anything about them, but while looking at the TEA school rankings chart I noticed that UT has several charter schools.

Another option you might explore is the IB program in public schools. My child loved it; especially the discussion/inquiry-based learning. The kids' world-views were surprisingly diverse...even up here in "conservative" Williamson County.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by LisaTH

We are considering a relocation from Washington D.C. to Austin and have two questions/concerns. 1) Is is possible to remain shielded from the "Other Texas" (i.e., conservative, wealthy) while raising kids in Austin? 2) What are the progressive education options (private likely; perhaps public charter) for K-8 and 9-12? St. Francis (K-8) seems like the best younger option but where do very liberal parents send their kids for high school if seeking a more individualized educational approach (less emphasis on testing) that is preferrably not replete with very wealthy families? Perhaps not possible but any ideas? If you haven't figured it out, we are university/non-profit types with strong leftist politics (our kids are in a Quaker school over here which is perfect for us).

I know many families who meet your description in Austin, including many St. Francis families.

Many send their kids to LASA (Liberal Arts and Science Academy) magnet in AISD for high school. Others attend the Fine Arts Academy at McCallum High also in AISD. Austin High, Bowie, and Anderson High in AISD as well as Westwood High in RRISD. Outside of the magnet programs, these are large schools.

Those wanting to keep their kids in a smaller academic environment with rigorous standards but not the standardize tests tend to go to either St. Andrews or St. Stephen's for high school. Both are Episcopalian -- a very liberal and tolerant denomination with a long history of excellence in education.

I think you should revise your ideas of Texas a bit, you have much to learn. There are wealthy liberal Austinites, there are poor conservatives. Nearly everyone has a libertarian bent (mine is now stronger after nearly 20 years in Austin), there are dems who own guns and republicans who engage in outreach to the homeless. And you can find very wealthy, conservative families who share your ideals about education.

Harmony Science is the only exemplary charter school in central Texas. Good school but the mainly middle-class and working class families tend towards the moderate conservative side of the spectrum -- and charter schools have all testing requirements of public schools which you seem to want to avoid. You are coming to a new place and ethnicity-liberalism-class clusters that you are used to may be different here.

[blakesq]

hahaha. i thought libs were supposed to be open minded, and welcoming of differring views and lifestyles, and that conservatives were supposed to be close-minded, isolationists, who only wanted to be around people who had the same viewpoints as themselves.

This post sure clears things up.

Originally Posted by LisaTH

We are considering a relocation from Washington D.C. to Austin and have two questions/concerns. 1) Is is possible to remain shielded from the "Other Texas" (i.e., conservative, wealthy) while raising kids in Austin? 2) What are the progressive education options (private likely; perhaps public charter) for K-8 and 9-12? St. Francis (K-8) seems like the best younger option but where do very liberal parents send their kids for high school if seeking a more individualized educational approach (less emphasis on testing) that is preferrably not replete with very wealthy families? Perhaps not possible but any ideas? If you haven't figured it out, we are university/non-profit types with strong leftist politics (our kids are in a Quaker school over here which is perfect for us).

[theloneranger]

The wealthy liberals in Austin send their kids to St. Andrew's or to Austin High.

[atlanta hope]

There's an IB school that is opening soon. It's a private school called Magellan and will be located in the NW area - off of MoPac and Far West. We're considering sending our toddler there. I'm not sure what grade they'll go up to but they mentioned that they would eventually go up to high school.

[Marvel]

I agree with TEXASTEA, you might want to try the IB schools. PYP is the primary (elementary) version. There are many schools in the area in both RRISD and LISD. It is very progressive, based on an international continuum of learning. Students focus on learning concepts (change, connection, perspectice, reflection, function etc.) rather than on content. Content is seen as something that can be regurgitated, rather than "learned." Concepts can be applied to a variety of subjects, topics and themes. Creating an internationally minded person also includes building character traits such as tolerance, open-mindedness and respect.
Anyway, there are elem/middle and high schools that use this framework. It is pretty cool. Check it out at International Baccalaureate (IB)

[jdevelop2]

I would say that if you do to move to Austin, you should leave your close minded attitude behind. Your opinion of the "other Texas" is likely to not endear you well with folks here, in Texas.

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by jdevelop2

I would say that if you do to move to Austin, you should leave your close minded attitude behind. Your opinion of the "other Texas" is likely to not endear you well with folks here, in Texas.

I agree that it is not a good idea to move to a place where you already feel you wouldn't want to associate with most of its people. I am a liberal myself, but writing off a whole state and its citizens because they don't agree with you is not "liberal" thought to me. I understand wanting your children to have a good education, one that teaches children to thoughtfully consider differing points of view, rather than being unduly influenced by one-sided, conservative thought. So looking for the right school is important. But no child is well educated when they are isolated from all opinions except those of their parents.

[textimage]

You might want ti inquire with Sri Atmananda Memorial School. Despire it's Indian name, it's a non-sectarian, K-12 private that emphasizes how the individual child wants to learn over an imposed curriculum. It's based on the understanding that we WANT to learn and when there is trust between student and teacher the most growth can occur. I've personally been very impressed with their work: samschool.org.