A Renaissance School of Arts and Sciences

My child was the 9^th Student to join the school. My mother had found the school for us. We went to the school and checked it. We loved the concept. I had been looking for Reggio Emilia school for my daughter. We knew about it, from having gone to American International School overseas.
Susan Dunn, the founder of the school had a great vision. She wanted «The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was developed by Loris Malaguzzi, who was a teacher himself, and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II. After such a great and destructive event, people believed that children were in need of a new way of learning: the assumption was that people form their own personality during early years of development and, moreover, that children are endowed with a hundred of languages. The aim of this approach is teaching how to make them useful in everyday life. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-​guided curriculum.» Wikipedia
Daughter visited the school and was very excited. She started to attend the school part time because we had already paid tuition at her other school. Both Susan and Sally were very enthusiastic. The academics, the art, sciences, thinking outside the box, what a great start to her education.
2010. That year in September of my daughter started the school full time. The school had moved during summer vacation to a bigger location. Now the school had 18 kids, 2 full time teaches, 3 interns and other teachers that came in and helped. The kids were getting a lot of attention and great education.
The school environment was very artistic, open and fun. The students learned many great subjects, math, sciences, writing reading and the list goes on. The curriculum was above standard. The parents helped in any possible way to make the school a success. The parent body was supportive, kind and giving.
Towards the end of the school year there was some bullying that came to my attention via parents. My daughter was one of the kid being bullied. I brought this up to Susan and Sally’s attention. My husband and I had a meeting and we were told not to worry and that it will be taken care of.
We had our school year end learning celebration. It was a very happy time. I talked to many new prospect parents. The students were incredible and had learned too much.
2011, September we returned to school. Now there were 40 students. It was over whelming for Susan and Sally. The landlord had put them on notice to get another place for 2012. December is when the chaos started.
Susan was looking for a bigger place to house more kids with the growing demand. She was the teacher to the older kids and a darn good teacher. My daughter was in her group. She did her best with what she had. In reality she needed to have an office manager and an Administrator plus a few more teachers. She was wearing all the hats. That wore her down. You could tell it was exhausting for her. So yes our kids did get the short end of the stick. She was not their 100% for the kids like she had been the previous 2 years.
Daughter was still being bullied, she did not want to go to school. I spoke to the mother of the child who was bullying. We called a meeting with the teachers, and things did get resolved.
I have to admit, some of the things the other two people said were true. Things did fall through the cracks. Parents felt they were not taken care of and heard. Student work was getting lost. Promises were made and not kept. I feel the school was growing to fast too soon and good teachers and school staff was not easy to come by. Like any new business there is always growing pains.
2012,Now 90 kids were going to join A Renaissance School of Arts and Science. The school still did not have a permanent home. By then we had decided to move.
For our daughter, from April 2010 to December 2011 were her best years at Renaissance School of Arts and Science. She blossomed like a flower. Susan did give her the passion to read and she loves math.
I hope that Susan and Sally will work out the hiccups and make it the dream school that they had envisioned.

We have two children at Renaissance and have experience over the past three school years.
Renaissance has excellent staff and caring teachers. In the past, teachers have left more often than we would wish, but the founders are working on that, and turnover has not affected our kids’ academic progress or their feelings about the school. We have loved the warm interaction and the self-​motivated, often project-​based curriculum. Both kids are making excellent progress in math and reading. We have appreciated the progress reports and the small class sizes and separate groups for reading and math based on skill level and readiness. All the teachers are approachable and open in our experience. Both kids love their teachers, and both are proud of their work. Goal-​setting conferences and learning celebrations allow the kids to share their progress.
My only caution to new parents considering Ren is that very active kids may have trouble with the length of the school day because this is a fairly project and academically focused environment. It is not a school where a report card with grades will easily summarize progress, either – but then, there are always public schools for that. Also of note, there is little to no homework for the kids. The school’s philosophy is that they spend many hours at school, so their work can be completed there.
I want to echo the previous comment that Ren has instilled a moral code of community in my older child especially. I like that very much. I also appreciate the opportunity for kids to connect outside their age group, it has allowed children who might not fit into the standard social order to thrive and be themselves.
In short, this environment is thoughtful and most importantly, it works for my kids. I think it would work for most, but urge prospective families to make this very personal decision based on a visit to Renaissance. Talk to parents who have their kids at the school, and the teachers themselves.

Our family has been attending the Renaissance School for the past 5 years — our son is in his 5^th year and our daughter is in her 2^nd year. We have a lot of experience with the school and its various stages of evolution.
I’m a little disappointed by some of the negative reviews, mostly because they seem to have a hint of vindictiveness and don’t really represent a holistic picture of the school. Are there some issues and opportunities for improvement at the Ren School? Absolutely. Have we considered alternatives at times? Yes. Is the Ren School the perfect fit for every kid? Probably not. With that said (and after consideration of alternatives), we are advocates of the school and extremely happy with the education that our kids are receiving.
Pros:
* Our kids love it — it’s fun: Our kids love being at the Ren School, which has translated into a love of learning overall. They are excited about their day and are eager to return after break. I believe that this is largely due to the very imaginative atmosphere of the place and physical manifestation of the founders’ vision.
* Project learning: Our children have embraced the concept of project leaning, which is the foundation of the Ren School. They are excited about their «work» and have a clear purpose of making progress towards a specific goal. There is no rote memorization or «worksheets» at the Ren School.
* Long day/​long year: Kids are in school to 4:00 pm and the school year goes to late July. This schedule allows for a less rushed learning environment with a lot more time for creative endeavors, that keeps kids engaged. It is easy to do the math of how many «school hours» our kids have compared to other schools and this has been a very positive experience for our kids.
* Creative Electives & Extras: This is something that I feel has truly been dialed in this year… kids get to choose from great electives for the last hour of school: sketching, fairy houses, math & strategy games, go green art club are some of our kid’s favorites. I just attended an open house where some of the older kids presented their learnings from a 3-​day trip to the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. Their enthusiasm for what they learned was palatable.
* Warm Environment: We’ve had some very great teachers. One of the key teachers, Adam, has been a mentor and major positive influence on our son for several years. Our daughter was absolutely enamored with her first reading teacher, Amelia. There has been some unfortunate teacher turnover in the past couple of years, but we have had great experience with the teachers and have really appreciated the enthusiasm and care that they bring to the job. I know that one parent mentioned a bullying incident (and I do not want to dismiss their experience), but I have not seen it. I feel that the school emphasizes community and respect and my kids have a keen awareness of what is acceptable/​non-​acceptable behavior when dealing with their peers.
Cons:
I would say that the school itself has changed a lot in the past 5 years and some of my earlier concerns have been addressed and improved (better organization, better school communication, better space, etc.). Many of these improvements have come from the selfless contributions of some fantastic parents who I am grateful that I share a community with. We have no problems expressing our concerns to the founders (and I think they have gotten better about hearing feedback) and I assume the community atmosphere of the Ren School creates a lot of parent/​school dialogue. Key opportunities for improvement: teacher tenure, better communication on overall curriculum, and a clearer roadmap for older kids transitioning to high school.
One final comment: While there have been bumps along the way, the two main founders — Susan and Sally — have worked tirelessly to implement a grand vision for the school. Kudos for them for having the passion and creativity to build something so great in such a short amount of time. I’m curious to see where it goes from here.

This is my daughter’s 2^nd year at Renaissance School and my husband and I have been thrilled with her progression on a creative, social, and academic level. We chose Ren School after a recommendation from her pre-​school Director and my sister, who heard about the school from a work colleague whose children attend.
Our goal was to send our child to a school that nurtured the whole person and taught kids to think beyond rote learning. The interaction of multi-​aged students creates a sense of community and responsibility rare in a K-​8. It also allows a fluidity in learning that benefits both children’s strengths and challenges.
We have found the staff, including founders Sally and Susan, warm and engaging and open to all feedback and concerns. Ren does lack the finesse of other private schools in town — it is relatively new, growing quickly, and was founded by public school professionals — but this is part of the charm. It feels focused on the children and philosophy as opposed to its image and wait list.
We would unequivocally recommend Ren School to anyone looking for an alternative to public education in Portland.

I was asked to lead a class in meditation and to teach about Buddhism. I arrived early enough to have two students show me around and than to observe the morning meeting with the director, teachers and students. The interaction was a joy to observe, especially students bringing things up.
I was able to look at the workbooks of two other students in the class I taught. They were studying different religions and I was impressed with the depth of content of the workbooks. After my presentation, there was Q & A. I was impressed by the sophistication of the questions. Finally, the interaction between the teacher and his students was exactly what you would want for your children.

They talk the talk at Renaissance, but don’t walk the walk in a straight line. The curriculum, communication, boundaries, professionalism, and monies from fund– raising efforts is blurred. Our child attended Renaissance for two years. We sadly felt compelled to depart after we experienced what so many, too many families, experienced for such a young school.
Let’s start with curriculum. Renaissance sells itself as a progressive based education that nourishes free thinkers and is not outcome based. They like to quote Alfie Kohn and imply they are educating on this level. Not quite. They overuse and fall back on the word «fluid» too often. For a science school, there is not a lot of science going on, and it often is the same science year after year. A truly inspiring investigative science program is lacking. Course offerings are inconsistent and come and go like the rain.
My child was changed from her reading group, oh, about four to five times in less than a month. This teacher, that teacher, no this teacher. When I noted my concern, the wrath of the Queen fairy descended upon me, and my child suffered terribly for it, as other children have.
Assessment is spotty. It is difficult at best to get a clear picture of the concrete skills your child is learning and what exactly it is they do at school each day, however they do seem to have a lot of fun. Learning intentions seem a bit vague. Many parents often walk away from the conferences scratching their heads because of all the talking in circles. However, it all depends on your teacher.
Want to volunteer at the school? You might be able to volunteer for some things, but most of the committees are hand chosen by a select few. Who knows, you may be one of those select few chosen.
Fairies rule the roost here with little earthly grounding, and operates on favorites, the mood of the founders, and just how much money you donate. Don’t ask questions, inquire about your child’s clan, teacher, or academics. This can put you on the «nay sayers» list and they will systematically not acknowledge you, speak to you, look at you, etc. This happened to my family along with numerous parents who had inquiries about their children, and ultimately ended up leaving. You expect some turnover at any school, but the mid-​year and end of year turnover for a new school is off the charts.
Fund raising is interesting. We participated in a fabulous Science Walk one year and our kids raised over $ 8,000 for microscopes, light boxes, and lab equipment that was to be created at the «glass castle» on Bancroft. Two microscopes and no science lab later, the kids forgot about their efforts and never got a science lab at the science school. Two families did separately donate a telescope.
Staffing: huge turn over.
What do they get right? Magic and fairies have been taken to a fantastical level. Really impressive. This feels like a great school for k-​4. But, they have a difficult time helping the older kids cross over and away from the fairies and prepare for real life academics. The trip to Ireland was a hit and students only had to pay $ 500 for an incredible trip. However, first parents were invited to join the trip, then uninvited, some children were invited and got excited, then uninvited, etc. Par for the course.
Let’s talk professionalism and confidentiality. Now, I have friends and acquaintances still at the school who are happy and satisfied, but, have their antennae up. All can be well for a family, and then you have a question or concern and it all falls apart for your family; especially your kid (s). And, staff and «certain» parents are alerted to your «nay sayer» ways. They need to work on levels of confidentiality. I don’t think parents should be privy to who donates large sums of money to the school or the private business of families.
Oh, everything is always great, everyone is brilliant, and learning is at higher levels than anyone at most other schools. Ask for concrete proof, not fairy dust talk. I have a bit of a problem with the lack of cleanliness at the school, and while lice are a problem at most schools nowadays, they just cannot seem to get a handle on it. We did not find Renaissance to be very transparent or engage in open ended questions and dialogs. The group parent meetings are scripted to the minute and usually do not offer open discussion.
The differences between the «vision» of the founders and the «reality» do not match up. However, they do seem to work hard and give what they have their all, it just might not be enough for a private school. Good luck to you and hopefully this is just a long bought of growing pains.