Berkeley Parents Network: About Piedmont Schools

Berkeley Parents Network

About Piedmont Schools

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > Piedmont Public Schools > About Piedmont Schools

Attending Piedmont schools on an inter-district transfer
Piedmont schools vs. private school
Piedmont schools for 12-year-old?
Instruction in Piedmont Schools
General comments about various schools
Moving to Piedmont for the schools
More Advice about Piedmont Schools

Attending Piedmont schools on an inter-district transfer

May 2009

We may have the opportunity to send our kids to Piedmont schools in a few years for middle and high school on an inter-district transfer. They would enter at the start of middle school and continue through HS after we let them finish out at their current elementary school. I've read all the posts about moving to Piedmont for the schools and discussion of people's concerns about lack of diversity, potential snobbishness regarding social and economic class. What I haven't found is information about what it might be like to add another layer of ''outsiderness,'' namely, having your kids attend Piedmont schools while you live in, let's say, Berkeley, Albany, or El Cerrito. Would this be ridiculously difficult socially, beyond the obvious challenges of geographical distance? I have heard of parents getting teaching jobs in the district in order to send their kids there. Just wondering what that feels like for both the parents and the kids. anon

I was a former teacher at Piedmont High School a decade ago and then worked with PHS students for years after that on a one -on- one basis. The student body is amazing, many of the students are involved in community service, and most of them are very well rounded. The parent organizations were, and probably still are, generous with their time and extremely supportive of the professional advancement of teachers. I remember going to a few conferences that were fully funded by them. All in all, from a teacher's view, the pros and cons of the PUSD are the same- involved parents. If I were still a teacher there, I would definitely send my children to the schools. As it is now, I am no longer a teacher, but looking for a home there.

I had students in my class from Oakland, Albany, Richmond, and El Cerrito. They all had parents that taught in the district and really seemed to thrive academically as well as socially, and seemed to integrate really well with their peers, although I'm hoping other parents will chime in to give you a first person perspective. The only drawback I could see is that if you don't live nearby you will have to work out logistics for carpooling to and from activities, games, or just to give your kids the chance to hang out with their classmates. anon

There have been a number of kids in our daughter's classes whose parents live outside Piedmont--some are teachers, some work for the Piedmont Rec Dept, etc. It has never been a big deal where kids lived, since they all go to school together and participate in extracurricular classes/sports together after school and on weekends. Sure, she can walk to some of her friends' houses, but many of them she needs us to drive her toC3so whether we are driving her across town or to Berkeley is moot. Granted, this is just our experience but there has never seemed to be a differentiation based on where kids live. Piedmont parent

Piedmont schools vs. private school

Nov 2008

Hi, Looking for opinions on Piedmont public schools..We have 3 children ages elementary to high school. Thanks so much.. Undecided parents (private vs.Piedmont) Paula

Our daughter just started at kindergarten in a Piedmont school. We are so happy with her teacher's teaching philosophy and even her child-rearing philosophy. (She encourages parents to not over-praise and gives tips on giving specific feedback to your child; asks that we send food in reusable containers and not send sweets; etc.) Our daughter turned five after the start of the school year, so is on the younger side. Both her dad and I are impressed by how much she seems to be learning. She loves everything about kindergarten, especially the friendships and PE. Typically there are at three teachers, including assistants, in her classroom of 20 students -- and frequently additional parent volunteers. The other parents have been friendly and involved. She's also taking a couple of classes through the school's enrichment program and the recreation department. They offer ballet, carpentry, Spanish, cooking, gymnastics, and more. For our daughter who has no special learning issues, we are very very pleased so far. kindergarten mom

Piedmont schools for 12-year-old?

March 2008

We are trying to choose between Piedmont, Berkeley and Albany schools. I see very little positive information in the archives for Piedmont; there must be some happy/unhappy experiences out there? At issue are my 12 year old's perception that Piedmont is boring, nothing is 'happening' there, and she'd rather go to Berkeley or Albany. She is very bright, does well in all subjects, and makes friends easily. She has had some years in public school where she had less than mediocre teachers, and fewer years where she had great teachers. I have supplemented where i could, but would like some consistency from here on, and want good teachers every year! I want her to be engaged and interested, but in past years, she has spent much of her day reading under the teacher's nose. She is a gifted writer, great reader, and wonderful artist. She gets A's and B's in everything else. I am worried that she will stray in the middle/high school years, and develop other interests if she is not fully engaged with an interesting curriculum and excellent teachers. Boys are now asking her out, and most of her friends have boyfriends! ? I am also concerned about homework; Is is true that Piedmont gives hours of homework each night? Have you had kids in any of these schools, and can you share your experiences? also have one 9 year old boy entering 4th grade in 2009, and he too is a great artist, and loves sports. anon

Hi: I can only speak about Piedmont schools. I have three very different boys, and two of the three have thrived at the town's schools over a dozen years. Those two sound very much like your child. I'll let other parents talk about kids with special needs, and Piedmont's ability to serve them. Our third child really benefitted from attending small, close-knit classes at Black Pine Circle in Berkeley for his middle school years (he's now doing well at PHS). He was one of about 12% of Piedmont kids who go to private school, according to the census, for a variety of reasons.

As I've said here before, about 1/3 of the cub scout population is non-white based on my rough headcount when heading the program (note that the town's Boy Scout council was the first in the country to reject the national organization's position on gays in scouts, and that's not enough for many of us).

Parent, grandparent, and business fundraising is important though not oppressive, and that funds a wide variety of special events and programs (e.g. today's Not a Genuine Black Man event by Brian Copeland at the high school). While school doesn't necessarily offer everything to everybody, there's plenty of enrichment and challenging work closeby, and a long tradition of parents stretching to expose their kids to it, and celebrating the work kids do.

For instance, in the last month or so, we've seen Dr. Demento speak on freedom of speech at the Berkeley Rep (free), taken a class at the Exploratorium, gone with a carload of kids to the Olafur Eliasson exhibit at SFMOMA (required of one kid by the ceramics class), and we can always run up the hill to CPS's great speaker series. One son plays in an East Bay symphony. All three run cross country against East Bay public and private schools. Friends' kids are taking classes at Berkeley and Cal State when they outstrip offerings at the high school. And see, for instance, high school art displayed at the local orthodontist's office, at local banks and Piedmont Avenue coffee shops each spring.

I'm sure this is what you'd see at many other local schools as well--and kids with special interests everywhere find and riff off one another.

Overall, we've been really happy with our decision, and thankful for insightful and sure-handed parent leadership on such issues as earthquake retrofit and some key issues at the high school. Our boys cycle around the East Bay, take BART to music events in SF, and take public transit to West Marin. We trust them and their friends. And maybe the biggest benefit of living in the Piedmont community is the ''it takes a village'' approach to raising our own kids, and feeling comfortable stepping in with others' kids if necessary.

''Hey, guys. Can you pick up all that trash at the bus stop please?'' Piedmont parent

We've had really good experiences in the Piedmont schools. My husband works in the district, so we have the perspective of living in Oakland and sending our kids to Piedmont schools (they started there in middle school). Contrary to stereotypes, we have found the students to be pretty well grounded, and not materialistic. Most parents we spend time with seem interested in buying experiences for their kids with their privilege (as opposed to buying ''stuff''), which seems to me a pretty good thing to me to do with your privilege... I don't think you hear a lot about Piedmont, because quite frankly, Piedmont has no interest in -- or need to-- shout its own praises . Enough people ''get it'' and it's as simple as that. I just hate to hear stereotypes reinforced, so I felt the need to respond.

How much homework your kid has really, truly, depends on your kid and his/her abilities. My daughter is in the 7th grade and she typically has about 45 minutes- 1 hour of homework a night.She is also a very talented reader and writer. My son is now in 9th grade and his 7th and 8th grade load was also about 45 min-1 hour nightly. In 6th grade, however, I'd say he spent at least 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours every night on homework. Some of this was due to the fact that he did have a more academically challenging core teacher, but a lot of it was due to the fact that he just wasn't very efficient when doing his work that year, and he's improved a lot his ability to focus and to be organized. I really feel like the middle school has a vision for what they want the kids to experience academically and socially, and we've been impressed with how competent and thoughtful the teachers are at PMS ; we've been altogether very happy.

High school, of course, becomes more challening. My son now has at the minimum an hour of homework a night-- although not usually more than 2... but he is just a freshman. I think it's probably hardest to be a truly ''average'' student with basic skills in the Piedmont schools, that's just my opinion. I wouldn't call it a competitive environment, but the kids are pretty skilled, (they do, after all come from a very educated parent base) and that's just the truth of things. Good luck. Piedmont parent

It's our daughter's first year at Piedmont Middle School and so far, so good. I was anxious about whether it would be a good fit for her. She is an excellent student and artistic too. I can't compare our experience to Albany or Berkeley schools. She has been in the Piedmont school system since kindergarten and has had wonderful teachers each and every year. I have heard a couple parents who were not as lucky as we, but the vast majority argue with me that they actually had the better teacher.

Our daughter has not had too much homework - this year about 1.5 hours Mon-Thurs, and virtually none on weekends/vacations. I have heard a parent say that their 6th grader did have too much, but again most parents share my satisfaction. I've heard that some of the middle schoolers have boy/girlfriends, but it seems to be only going on with a small subset of the 6th grade, albeit a highly visible subset. Our daughter is not in this subset, is very pretty, and like her friends does not have a boyfriend, has not been asked out, and has no romance on the horizon. She's busy with school, extracurriculars (I think Piedmont shines here in terms of what is offered: languages, sports, drama - but again I can't make comparisons).

My daughter seems challenged, seems to be really learning - she has a deep grasp of the topics covered and doesn't seem stressed but on rare occasion. This could change; middle school can be a tough, rapidly changing period. Our satisfaction seems to be echoed by the vast majority of the other 6th grade parents I've spoken to. I can't speak to the other middle school grades yet. Most importantly, she really likes her school; and we've delved pretty deeply into the possibilities with her, including going to a Berkeley school. Of course, all she knows about Berkeley schools is what she's heard from a few/several friends who go there. Good luck! satisfied parent

Instruction in Piedmont Schools

Feb 2007

We're considering a move to Piedmont for the schools. Can any current Piedmont parent or teacher give me a sense of the instruction there--how textbook-based? how test-driven? how creative are the teachers in their instruction? do students sit in rows or have a chance to work in groups? do students do projects or primarily pencil-and-paper tasks (or both)? how much pressure is there to excel/acheive?
Prospective Kindergarten parent

I have 2 daughters, one graduated from PHS in '05, the other will be a '08 grad. We moved from Oakland when they were going into 2nd and 5th grades, so I don't have first-hand experience with K&1, but I think K-3 are much better at collaborative, creative teaching and learning than the later grades. PUSD has a pretty traditional, college-oriented educational philosophy. Our experience is that, while there is variation throughout the district, there is a strong texbook-based, traditional teaching style. Students generally sit in rows. There is ample opportunity for students to work in groups. The district did modify its grade-by-grade teaching plan to accommodate STAR expectations. There is a fair amount of pressure for students to excel and achieve, but it doesn't mean all students buy into the game. slm

I'm pretty relieved about the curriculum for my Kindergartener at Beach School in Piedmont this year. I've volunteered in the classroom a bit, so I've had a chance to watch. The kids sit in groups, have circle time, and have centers where they play games that also teach something. They do not sit in rows. There are parent volunteers in our class (at least one, often two or three)for about 45 minutes to an hour each day. My son has homework every day - not an inordinate amount - and not rigidly enforced, but enthusiastically encouraged. We've had several projects to do at home (i.e. decorate a book box, group 100 items by 5s or 10s, write the names of their classmates on their valentines and know how to read them, etc.). There is more work this year than I've heard was required last year - I guess the result of new state curriculum (''no child left behind'' requirements?).

I think the two Kindergarten teachers at Beach are amazing. The kids are having a blast while they are learning. The teachers integrate several subjects at the same time - so while they are doing a cooking project, they teach a bit of math, a bit of reading, a bit of science. Circle time is an amazing demonstration of virtuosity and fluidity - teaching new concepts from several disciplines at the same time they are going over simple reading lessons. The kids seem engaged - they don't look bored. The teachers sure don't have the discipline problems I imagined they'd have with these little ones having to pay attention.

I don't know if the upper grades are just as good. I've not seen those teachers first hand, but I've been hearing positive reviews from the parents I know. Concerning whether they sit in rows? From what I can see as I walk down the halls, it looks like the kids in other grades work in groups sometimes, and sit at desks other times. I'll be interested to see what replies you get. kimberly

I notice a recurring theme on this list--many people want the inside scoop on Piedmont (and other) schools. I understand people's anxiety about school and their own children, however, many of these questions are not truly answerable. (I also get the feeling that people really want their move to an expensive, privileged, exclusive community or private school validated.) However, since I have direct experience with Piedmont schools, here is what I have to say in response to your questions.

How textbook-based? IT DEPENDS.
How test-driven? IT DEPENDS.
How creative are the teachers in their instruction? IT DEPENDS.
Do students sit in rows or have a chance to work in groups? IT DEPENDS.
Do students do projects or primarily pencil-and-paper tasks (or both)?
IT DEPENDS.
How much pressure is there to excel/acheive? IT DEPENDS.

You see, your child will be in 13 different grades if you move there for K-12. From 6th grade on, your child will have about 6-7 different teachers a year. Your child will be mostly safe (from a crime standpoint), your child will be surrounded by many children with fantastic advantages, and your child will be lucky enough to be in a system where parents generously supplement a budget that is not adequately funded by the state. However, your child will still be in school. Think back to when you were in school. There were probably good teachers and bad, good years and bad, interesting and not-so-interesting projects, nice kids and ones you'd rather not be around. Did you survive? My guess is yes. If your child goes to school in Piedmont, or anywhere, and goes on to college, your child will go to school with a new group of kids who all managed to make it there whether they were from even ''better''' places than Piedmont (!), or, more incredibly...places that are not thought of as highly. Kids have good and bad experiences in all kinds of schools. Sometimes you just have to wait and actually experience something to find out how it's all going to go. Some kids love Piedmont, and some hate it, and, this same phenomenon happens all over, in many, many schools and districts. -sick of the school panic

The level of instruction at Piedmont schools is varying, just like any other school system. The principals of each school strongly influence who gets hired/not hired for that specific school's teaching staff. Some principals are more intelligent than others. We moved to Piedmont when both our children were toddlers, and they went through the PUSD from K through high school. The younger one left to attend a private school after 9th grade. The type of student your child develops into is not the outcome of the level of instruction. I loved the fact that the PUSD retained their kindergartens as developmentally oriented, not academic. There were ''academic'' type of activities, but it was sugar-coated and very nice for the children. The school system is very supportive of their students. The child's family is the biggest influence of how well they do in school, not the level of instruction. Our kids would've done well at any school----they have parents who are actively involved in their school, interested in their lives and welfare, and provide a strong support system at home. Piedmont families are traditionally of that type. The child that opted out after 9th grade (he's very academic, but a non- pressure-seeker) attends Maybeck in Berkeley and is very content. He gets more personal attention, more teacher time/support, more hours of homework and is more qualified for college work now, as a junior, than his elder sibling was at graduation. We also pay a private school tuition.

The level of instruction at Piedmont is generally very good, but people who go into teaching anywhere are dedicated. It's very hard work. Parents are people; teachers are people. There were teachers who drove me up the wall who were regarded as splendid by other parents, and vice versa. Piedmont schools have more parental support than other communities. Other schools' parents claim they have to work and that's why they're not more active. That's not true. In Piedmont, the parents who are taking time off work to help in their kids' schools often have very demanding careers----executives , doctors , lawyers , professors, etc---moms as well as dads. Their children learn about time management and success from their home, not from school instruction. Piedmont parents provide a broad suport network (monetary and with their own labor) to fill the enormous gap between state funding and the costs of running a decent school system. Piedmont has parents that are truly dedicated to their children and back it up with actions, not words. Piedmont resident

General comments about various schools

Sept 2006

My three kids (all boys) have gone to Piedmont schools for about ten years; our 8th grader has spent his middle school years at Black Pine Circle,one has just left Havens Elem for the middle school, and one is a sophmore at the high school. While Piedmont isn't as diverse as other surrounding areas, it works hard to ensure that all folks are very comfortable. I won't repeat anything said here by GLBT folks or people of color, but when I ran the Cub Scout program in town (we were the first Council in the country to renounce the national org's membership policy), I remember doing a head-count of the demographics of the pack at Havens Elem--the school that covers many of the more expensive homes in town. 27% were non-white--admittedly, mostly Asian-American or bi-racial/bi-ethnic. And as is the case with huge portions of the East Bay's high schoolers, it's impossible to tell the ethnic background of many of the students, if you thought that was a good use of time. My son who looks like his dark-skinned German grandfather is sometimes asked by kids at school if he's part Latino--perfectly plausible in this town, and he gets a chuckle out of it.
Maureen

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.