Research Gem Charter School charter Schools in Scottsdale, Arizona

“I have two kids at this school and I have been very pleased with their progress. The school is very welcoming to parents and encourages parents to visit and volunteer. It is a small campus, but that ensures the children are well supervised. When issues have come up, I have found the teachers and the the administrative staff to be concerned, caring, and centered in their approaches to resolution. The Montessori cirriculum allows the children progress at their own pace so no one feels like they are held back or left behind. I like that this school has less than 100 students; all of the kids know one another on sight, which adds to my sense of security and safety. The small setting and school size encourage the nurturing of ongoing relationships that is vital at these ages to social development.”

“My son has been at Good Earth since pre-school and is now entering the fourth grade. I love the fact the school is very small and 'everyone knows everyone.' Because of it, discipline problems are very rare and I never for a moment have to worry about bullying, unruly behavior. The kids are in general well spoken and well mannered and are highly encouraged to be independent thinkers and learners - all qualities that are sorely lacking in public schools. The Montessori approach is very different from traditional teaching methods and any parent should learn about it before choosing a Montessori school. More after school activities have been added over the last couple of years including music, dance, and chess club. Perhaps the best thing about GEM is my son loves to go to school every day!”

“I just removed my son from here. He was in the primary class with two excellent teachers and then the director decided to split up the teaching team because the other primary teacher was struggling. Instead of taking ownership of the professional development of the other teacher, the director switched teachers in the middle of the school year. and kept my son with the weaker teacher. Soon after, I received multiple 'incident reports' that my child was acting up. We did everything we could on our end to work with the school to change the behavior, but it didn't work. When I spoke to the director, she refused to acknowledge that the changes in teachers could contribute to the problem. We finally pulled him from the school and at his new school all of the old negative behaviors have dissapeared. I would not recommend this school at all.”

“I am a parent of 4 children. Three currently attend GEM. They are in 4th, 2nd, and PK. GEM uses the AMI montessori philosophy to educate their students. Contrary to the other reviews I have always felt welcomed to visit classrooms and have been very involved in volunteering at the school. Over the years (we have been there 4 years) an occasional issue has surfaced which I felt free to address to the director. She has always worked with us to resolve any problems. The montessori philosophy is very different than a traditional school and any parent embarking on this should read up on what that involves. Sheila Flatley Rubio, parent”

“The last two reviews came in just after my daughter started there. She came home every day for more than a month crying that she hated that school. That settled down eventually with lots of our time involved, but I agree that the administration is a bit closed minded about even minor improvements. There's a lot of scolding of the children, and ambiguous standards for behavior. While we'll sit out this year, unless it gets worse, I doubt we'll be back next year. The teachers do seem quite caring, but they are limited and frustrated by inadequate support.”

“My daughter attended this school and I found it to be horrible. I agree with the other parent that there is NO open door policy and my daughter came home and told me things about this school that I found to be frightening. I didn't trust her safety at this school.”

“Despite claims that an open door policy exists, I was repeatedly discouraged from coming to the school unannounced. The facility is in very poor repair. The teachers seem eager but my sense it that the administration interferes. The support staff is inadequate.”

“Excellent Montessori based Education. Well-run with a spirit of respect and thoughtful action. Meets and exceeds Arizona academic requirements. Great school for parents who want to be involved in their children's education.”

“This school is losing it's 'special qualities'. Our son is just starting the second grade,he has been attending gem charter since kindergarten. It was an awesome school! but now? Getting more rules and more children per classroom! they used to keep it to 20-23 kids in a classroom. This year. . . 32! That's alot for one teacher, and the small classroom. Not very happy this year. Too many new rules this year, too. Can't have this. Can't have that. Plain clothing ~ no words or cartoon or picture. They are asking the kids to bring alot of supplies. . . Were are our tax dollars? No music offered in the classroom. An after school activity. No sports. They do have pe twice a week. And they ask parents to help ~ lots.”

“This school possesses great qualities. First, a great management job done by the school's director and assistant The facilities are well kept, schedules run smoothly and the open door policy makes it easy to stop by and discuss possible parent concern. Also, the teaching staff I have been confronted with are highly qualified, educated and dedicated professionals who are passionate about their work. Both of my elementary-aged student children meet or exceed the academic standards for the state of Arizona. However, your child might overgrow this school after entering 4th or 5th grade. There is an extremely limited number of 5-6th grade students, which is not conducive of much variety in socialization. Also, its playground is small which does not allow for much physical activity. There is an elective Music program. It lacks art and a strong phys.ed. program as well. Besides that, I would highly recommend it.”