Queen’s Paideia School

Our daughter is in her first year @ QPS/​6^th grade and the school has exceeded our expectations. The small class size with an individual learning approach and top notch staff are the reasons why our daughter is happy and thriving. The staff @ QPS know how to be inclusive and question the kids with the goal of getting them to think with clarity and insight. Last year we had to practically bribe our daughter to read independently and now she is obsessed with reading and we can thank this school’s approach for this big leap. We know this school will prepare our daughter for what lies ahead because they are creating such a strong foundation. If there is a parent out there reading this and want to get more insight please feel free to reach out via email —
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Our daughter was at Queens Paideia School (QPS) for 6^th-​8^th grade. She is now a 9^th grader at a public high school (her first choice school). With some hindsight, we can even more fully appreciate the quality of the education she received at QPS, She was very well-​prepared for a challenging high school curriculum and is excelling in her classes. The low teacher to student ratio, the focus on independent learning, the high degree of personal responsibility that was required of the students and the dynamic teachers all prepared our daughter for success in high school and in life. The small size of the school meant that each staff member knew each child’s academic, emotional and social strengths and challenges very well. This gave us great comfort as parents and helped our child grow and thrive. Our daughter entered QPS below grade level in math and is now getting A’s in Honors Math. She is breezing through Physics — and loving it — at least partly due to the wonderful and inspiring science teacher at QPS, who sparked her interest. She is an independent thinker and confident learner, thanks to QPS.

After our experience at QPS, we could only be left shaking our heads that we were so duped. Our experience there was terrible. This is not a «school», it is a free-​for-​all where security and actual teaching are second to yelling and checking iPhones.
Our child literally did not have one thing to show academically from her time there. Total rip-​off. We are paying the price now trying to get her caught up, and other parents who have pulled their kids are in the same situation.

Prior to Queens Paideia School, my daughter was attending one of the highest ranked public elementary schools in Queens. In spite of the school’s reputation, I was concerned about some of the some negative behaviors of other students that the staff considered tolerable. I saw how these behaviors affected my daughter’s sense of security and attitude towards school. She was six at the time. No child should ever feel threatened about any part of their school experience. I don’t really blame the staff, I’m sure they are doing the best they can, given the numbers of kids that they try to manage.
At Queens Paideia, this is not a problem, there are about 5 students for every one teacher. Nothing happens in that school with out a teacher (learning manager) knowing about it an taking swift and appropriate action. Best of all, the action that is taken is not punitive, rather it focuses on making the incident a teachable moment for each student involved. Students learn how to manage any behaviors that affect their own learning or the learning of others.
My daughter is now eight and loves her school. She has excelled in every area academically and as a person. People are amazed that she is only eight years old. She often tells me that she wants to go to a Paideia High School and College! When I ask her: what is it that she likes the most? Her reply is that she has a lot of choice over her learning and that everyone is very helpful and respectful. I wish I could say that about my school experience.

Both my kids attend Queens Paideia and honestly, it is the best kept «secret» in New York. We have been unbelieveably happy here. The enthusiasm, care, respect, creativity, and joy of this school are unparalleled.
The directors are passionate, knowledgeable, and optimistic, their devotion to (and knowledge of) each and every student motivate and set the tone for the entire staff.
The learning managers are completely devoted to the students and are caring, nurturing, flexible, and respectful of each student’s development, temperament, and interests.
The auxilliary teachers (spanish, art, movement, etc) are engaged and caring and bring even more enrichment to the day.
In the best sense, Queens Paideia is like a one-​room schoolhouse in the middle of Long Island City. The mixed-​age participation creates both role-​models and an opportunity to mentor for every student.
Both of my kids have blossomed here — socially, academically, and in their engagement with the world around them. We feel very lucky to be part of the QPS community!

Characteristics of most schools:
+ Bureaucrats decide what students will be taught
+ Information is doled out in 45 minute increments. When the bell rings, no matter how interested the students are in the subject matter, time to move on to the next topic.
+ Students are strictly segregated by age, so they rarely have the opportunity to get the experience of teaching someone younger what they know
+ Students never answer the question: «What should I do next?» Even the most gifted students are told what to do until they graduate from high school
Most schools follow this factory model, and it is fine preparation for careers in which a boss will tell you exactly what to do.
Queens Paideia School takes a much different approach:
+ Students and parents have a large say in what subjects they will study, based on what they are passionate about
+ Students have extended periods to work on their own independent projects (e.g., my son, age 6, is drawing a storyboard to make a movie, incorporating drawing skills, narrative skills, writing.)
+ Students of different ages have the opportunity to interact. Older students take the initiative to read to younger ones, or help them with their math. Nothing reinforces knowledge like the experience of teaching it to someone else. The younger kids get role models and are inspired by what they’ll soon be able to do
+ Students learn to answer the question, «What should I do next.»
+ 4 – 5 times per year, all the students present a sample of their work to an audience of their peers and the parents. I recently saw a fourth-​grader present the results of an experiment in which she designed the experimental aparatus, recorded data, analyzed and graphed the data, and drew conclusions. She demonstrated how the evaporation rate of a container of water is proportional to the surface area of the water. Work that most high school kids would be hard-​pressed to duplicate. A student in kindergarten spent ten minutes explaining the story of Moses to the class. All students in the school presented a bilingual play they had written together.
Eighth-​grade graduates of a previous incarnation of this school had the independence of mind, the reading ability, and the initiative that most college graduates lack.
My son has been attending the school since September 2010, and I wouldn’t want him to attend any place else. I’m planning to send my daughter there as well.