Best School Districts in Phoenix Area (Glendale, Scottsdale: construction, live, law)

[skyblueojos]

I'm a new teacher with plans to move to the area, but I seem to be having the hardest time finding "good" school districts. I've had a very bad experience teaching an urban high school and the apathy from the students, parents, and teachers was unbelievable. Right now I'm interning at a suburban elementary school and am having the time of my life. The students are happy to be there and everybody has the energy to learn.

Please post any recommendations you have. I speak Spanish so a hispanic population would be a pleasure.

Thank you.

[Patrick754]

If you are looking for an elementary school try the Kyrene District, it's considered one of the best in the state.

[skyblueojos]

Thank you for your recommendation. A friend recommended that district to me as well and I will definitely send them an application.

[AZgarden]

Other fairly good ones after Kyrene are Chandler, gilbert and Scottsdale

[crystalys]

Originally Posted by skyblueojos

I'm a new teacher with plans to move to the area, but I seem to be having the hardest time finding "good" school districts. I've had a very bad experience teaching an urban high school and the apathy from the students, parents, and teachers was unbelievable. Right now I'm interning at a suburban elementary school and am having the time of my life. The students are happy to be there and everybody has the energy to learn.

Please post any recommendations you have. I speak Spanish so a hispanic population would be a pleasure.

Thank you.

Well speaking Spanish will definitely be a plus in this state, but as far as using it in an educational setting you might want to read about the new law and the "English Immersion Program" that schools are required to provide for non English speaking students. Here is the link:

http://www.ade.az.gov/ELLTaskForce/SEIModels9-15-07.pdf (broken link)

It states that basically all non English speaking students are taught English by using only the English language and English materials (books, etc.) and the teachers must always use English for instruction. They may use limited Spanish to converse with the student if the conversation has nothing to do with the learning material in the classroom.

So the only time you would be able to speak Spanish in a teaching and learning environment is if the student is already proficient in English and wants to learn Spanish as a second language and you are the teacher in the classroom.

[skyblueojos]

Originally Posted by crystalys

Well speaking Spanish will definitely be a plus in this state, but as far as using it in an educational setting you might want to read about the new law and the "English Immersion Program" that schools are required to provide for non English speaking students. Here is the link:

http://www.ade.az.gov/ELLTaskForce/SEIModels9-15-07.pdf (broken link)

It states that basically all non English speaking students are taught English by using only the English language and English materials (books, etc.) and the teachers must always use English for instruction. They may use limited Spanish to converse with the student if the conversation has nothing to do with the learning material in the classroom.

So the only time you would be able to speak Spanish in a teaching and learning environment is if the student is already proficient in English and wants to learn Spanish as a second language and you are the teacher in the classroom.

Wow. Thank you for sharing that. Things are a bit different in Michigan, as I was able to supplement my teaching with a few sentences in Spanish to help the ESL students. Thanks!

[skyblueojos]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

Other fairly good ones after Kyrene are Chandler, gilbert and Scottsdale

Thank you. I will be looking into each one of those. I've heard a few mixed reviews about Chandler having a bit of gang trouble due to projects being nearby. Does this sound like something you've heard about?

[Ponderosa]

Liberty Elementary where I live has an ad for teachers on their website liberty.k12.az. us. The two best schools in this district are Estrella - excelling and Westar - performing, but a very nice school in a very nice area that had some administration problems, I think. I don't know which schools are in need. There is not much teacher turnover at Estrella, but you never know. You'll find more Hispanics in the other schools in the District than these two. Rainbow Valley and Liberty schools are more rural areas.

The high school at Estrella may be hiring too, seems they always are. It is in Buckeye Union High School District and is called Estrella Foothills. Again, pretty upscale area, but the HS gets a little more of a mix than the elementaries do. The HS is new with all the bells and whistles. They even have an aquatic sports center under construction.

[dgs92]

Paradise Valley...my kids are learning Core Knowledge (Grayhawk Elem). We love it!

[Great Joy]

In the NW valley, northern Peoria and northern Glendale also have great schools. Greatschools.net is a good resource. We love our specific schools (Vistancia Elementary and Liberty High School). Lots of good programs, parent involvement, and parent/teacher relationships. Apparently the word is getting out because we have met families and become friends with people that have moved here from many different areas of Phoenix (including Gilbert, Avondale, Surprise, Glendale, Cave Creek, Scottsdale, Anthem, etc) There are no gang issues here in northern Peoria. Best wishes skyblueojos!