School For Tomorrow

Posted: June 13, 2016

My daughter completed 7th grade this year at School for Tomorrow. She came to the school this year after an unhappy 6th grade year in public middle school, where despite a good staff, her needs as a bright student easily bored by tedium were not being met.

School for Tomorrow offered my daughter the individual attention she needed to begin to blossom intellectually. The school has attracted a cadre of very high quality, high energy teachers that provided my daughter with rich educational experiences and mentoring relationships.

The project approach used by the school really drew out her best effort and stretched her organizational skills. For her transdisciplinary humanities class she completed a project on ableism in school settings. For her science class she designed an experiment to test the effect of music on video game performance. Other classes in Architectural Drawing, Improv, Video Production, Dream Analysis, and Living Composers,.offered a broad sampling of new ideas and experiences.

My daughter also made important strides socially at SFT. The community of students that came together with their individual strengths and quirks formed a nurturing community that supported each other and provided my daughter a sense of belonging.

The small size and tailored approach at School for Tomorrow provided the environment my daughter and other students needed to thrive.

Posted: June 13, 2016

The teachers are very smart, energetic, and capable. They work to get to know the kids in order to support their growth.

Posted: June 13, 2016

The homework level was low, but most of class time was spent in actual work toward projects. Work that was not completed in class became homework.

Posted: June 13, 2016

The school places an explicit focus on honesty and integrity through it's "Four Keys" philosophy, one of which is "Honesty and Integrity". Relationships with instructors are collaborative, so students do not get anxious about the need to "pass a test".

Posted: June 2, 2016

The homework load and the workload, in general, has increased over the last five years. This year, my son routinely had homework for just about every class. The school uses a program that lets parents view assignments and grades (for both homework assignments and assignments done in class). It has a calendar feature that gives a helpful visual of what is coming due for each class so the student can plan accordingly - and so parents can provide whatever level of oversight their child needs to stay on top of things. The suggestion that a student could get away with doing nothing is inaccurate. Credit is not given for a class unless assignments are complete.

Posted: June 1, 2016

The recent influx of positive reviews is a marketing ploy to save the school. It was recently discovered that they're out of money, and teachers likely won't be paid for the rest of the year. The founder and head of school was just asked to resign, and they probably won't be opening again next year. Stay away. Crazy place.

Posted: June 1, 2016

Posted: June 1, 2016

Posted: June 1, 2016

Posted: June 1, 2016

Treating people fairly and with respect is one of highest priorities at SFT. At SFT bullying is non-existent, and the students all strive for honesty and integrity.

Posted: June 1, 2016

SFT has been a life saver for our son. At SFT he is given the opportunity to learn at his own pace. This is the first school that he has liked going to. He is learning more than he ever did, and he is in a safe and supportive environment. The teachers and students form a wonderful, inclusive, ans supportive community.

Posted: June 1, 2016

SFT is blessed with wonderful and patient teachers who understand the needs of EACH of their individual students.

Posted: June 1, 2016

Home work is given as appropriate for age, ability, and class. It is just right.

Posted: May 31, 2016

SFT has been great for my son, who learns in non-traditional ways. He researches topics independently and is prepared to discuss ideas in a group setting. SFT staff and students are very accepting of differences. Some of the negative reviews have referred to the founder of the school who is a visionary but had some flaws implementing his vision. He has left the school but those who remain are committed to the great ideas he created.

Posted: May 31, 2016

The teachers are effective because the classes are very small and the teachers connect strongly with the student.

Posted: May 31, 2016

Mandatory homework is very limited. Home reading is strongly encouraged but most assignments are completed at school. If not, students must complete it at home. Assignments are available online so parents can keep up with expectations.

Posted: May 31, 2016

The cohort of faculty is the most impressive of any school where I've worked (seven in total over 31 years).

Posted: May 31, 2016

Mindless homework proves nothing in outcome studies across the board. Project-oriented homework (though rare) fulfills the more effective empirical data's mandates. SFT lowers the stress-level in school so that students can follow their intellectual passions instead.

Posted: May 31, 2016

Respect for the individual is part of the school's core philosophy. The students are very accepting of differences.

Posted: May 31, 2016

Honesty, integrity and fairness are hallmarks of the student body and mission of the school.

Posted: May 31, 2016

This year SFT significantly upgraded their college counseling program. What had previously been almost an afterthought, emerged following the best practices of independent school college counseling.

By using Naviance and more traditional transcripts if 12th graders opted in for grades and GPA (accrued directly from the expansive narratives given each trimester in their classes), the new College Counselor, Lee Levine, was able to leverage his contacts in admissions offices across the US.

As a result, the five college-bound 12th graders (not taking a gap year) were accepted at 37 colleges (34 unique) and received merit aid offers of well over $400,000 in total!

Posted: May 30, 2016

This school has been tremendous for my child. Despite significant management challenges (which are being resolved in a major way as I type this), the teachers are extremely dedicated, and the model of individualized interdisciplinary study has been exceptional. My son has gone to SFT for 4 years now. Extremely frustrated with the approach to learning in public middle school, he has absolutely thrived at SFT -- socially, emotionally and perhaps most of all intellectually. He and his peers love going to school -- before SFT, I had never imagined meeting teenagers who actually get disappointed by snow days. The teachers reinforce and nurture the kids intellectual enthusiasm and creativity. Again -- there have been numerous challenges with senior-most management (as noted in earlier comments); but significant and lasting changes have been made that should SFT even better.

Posted: May 30, 2016

Of course this varies... but we have found that our child was able to find several absolutely stellar teachers at SFT, each of whom have become strong mentors.

Posted: May 30, 2016

Posted: May 30, 2016

My son is finishing his fifth year at SFT. Overall, the experience has been a great one for him. The faculty, staff and head of school have been caring and supportive of him. His academic experience has been good. Achievement tests done after two years, when compared to testing done before starting at SFT, showed that he was progressing nicely. His classes have been varied and interesting. Last fall, he took advantage of an offered before-school PSAT prep class handled by two dedicated SFT teachers and achieved very high percentiles. Any request we have ever made relating to class preference or to establishing independent study has been accommodated to the fullest extent possible. Any problem I ever raised was resolved promptly and to my satisfaction. More important than any of this - my son has been truly happy at SFT.

Posted: May 29, 2016

The peer environment at SFT is great -- students are very supportive of each other.

Posted: May 29, 2016

My son attended private kindergarten and was in public school from 1st through 8th grade. I had been told that the public school had great services for kids who needed special attention. My son is not mentally challenged - but, he doesn't learn in the standard way. He would get a teacher who understood him and he would excel. Unfortunately, that was the exception more than the rule. After another badly handled incident at the public school, I knew I needed to find an alternative for high school. I was delighted to discover SFT was opening a campus in Reston. My son has made great friends and feels more confident due to the culture of acceptance, encouragement, and support. The academics are excellent and each child is served as an individual. I only wish SFT had been in Northern VA sooner!

Posted: May 29, 2016

The teachers at SFT are patient and creative. They provide individual support and tailor assignments to the way students learn best.

Posted: May 29, 2016

My son was overloaded with homework in public school. It was a struggle and a source of conflict at home. My son gets what he needs at STF and works independently at home on projects.

Posted: May 29, 2016

Posted: May 29, 2016

I am rating the teachers and the students here. The school is an unknown now that the founder is not in the picture. Many creative, passionate, and committed teachers (and students). True that founder's instability was a serious drag on the culture and productivity of the place. New leadership with the same students and teachers would make this a great school.

Posted: May 29, 2016

Posted: May 29, 2016

It is a real mixed bag. Some of the best, brightest, most creative teachers and some of the worst.

Posted: May 29, 2016

Students need practice with work to do well in college. Not 5 hours a night, but some.

Posted: May 28, 2016

The students who attend this school feel safe, welcome, comfortable with who they are. There is no bullying. The teachers work with the students on social skills, exploring their truth, hands on activities for learning, and students' passion for learning in a particular area. We are so grateful for the high quality of staff that SFT provides us. Each is very passionate and it's contagious!

Posted: May 28, 2016

SFT offers a range of courses and focuses on problem-solving and task-driven learning. Students are supported and encouraged to reach for their best without a competitive edge. I have been impressed by the kindness that the students offer each other within the flow of a day ... it is not unusual to see high schoolers chatting with, or cheering a 5th or 6th grader during lunch or activities. There is a new board and new leadership - this is adding to the energy and positive direction of the school.

Posted: May 28, 2016

Posted: May 28, 2016

Posted: May 28, 2016

Since the focus is on personal improvement and goal-setting, the school community is driven to "Fail Forward" and seek ways to gain skills and improve through your learning experiences.

Posted: May 28, 2016

My son has been at the school for five years. The quality of the teachers (and the quality of the curriculum, itself) has steadily improved over the years. In the last three years, the teachers have all been very solid and a few have been truly outstanding.

Posted: May 19, 2016

the good teachers leave because if the have any new ideas the head of the school sees it as a threat.

Posted: May 19, 2016

Posted: May 19, 2016

my child was harassed at this school and nothing was done. The head of the school is unpredictable and has challenged the veracity of anyone that disagrees with him. While the academic culture is not challenging the atmosphere at the school is very emotional and anxiety ridden because of the leadership

Posted: May 19, 2016

The head of the school is vindictive and vicious and most of the classes were remedial - not hands on, engaging or challenging in any way.

Posted: February 19, 2016

It is difficult to foster such traits in students when the organization itself is run in a manner that is counter to those values.

Posted: February 19, 2016

Families and faculty join SFT because they believe in the mission and the promises outlined on the website. They leave because they want accountability and they want those promises to be fulfilled. They want to see their children grow and they want to grow as professionals.
It is important to note that the marketing and website--all the promises of project-based learning, customized education, tracking on social and emotional growth--were written by someone who was fired for not being "in line with the vision." So, who is to say what the vision is? One thing is clear: none of what is listed is implemented. The teachers try their best with little to no guidance and oversight. However, they are underpaid, overextended, and often have little to no formal training. The founder's leadership style is fear-based which suppresses debate and truth.

Oh, and the transcripts? Completely fabricated.

Posted: February 19, 2016

Most are brand-new teachers. They are given few guidelines or resources and little to no professional development. It is not their fault (they deserve better), but it leads many to be ineffective.

Posted: February 19, 2016

Posted: February 11, 2016

Posted: February 11, 2016

Posted: February 11, 2016

Posted: February 11, 2016

as somebody who used to attend the "school" I can say what it is really like. only a handful of students are motivated and do work. there are only some classes that are challenging. none of the students there have manners. there are no boundaries. the majority of the population is either doing drugs or recovering from doing drugs. there are few (two) classes that prepare you for college. having no tests hurts the students more because they do not learn how to take tests and then have anxiety about them and dont know how to prepare for them. each month a faculty member either gets fired or leaves to find a better job. for a school that prides themselves on not being judgemental the students are very judgemental and then sensitive and appauled if you say something mean towards them. the math there is terrible. there are no real science classes. there are fake ones. the idea of not having classes on wednesdays is stupid. they dont do anything. they just sit there and play video games. also the students are too dependent on technology. its frying their brains. most students graduate without having to do any work really. this school did not help me or advance my life in any way. i would advice against sending your child here if you want them to have a future. the idea of the school is good. but the execution is terrible. they do not know how to run a business.

shuotout Bertina V. you know whats up. 10/10 on yo post

Posted: December 12, 2015

I saw one review which mentioned "low paid interns". Some of those interns actually have a Master's degree in education. They choose to work at SFT for less money, waiting for a permanent position because they believe in what SFT is doing. The teachers are allowed to be creative and interactive. For my child, this was highly effective.

Posted: December 12, 2015

One of the great things about SFT is its reasonable homework policy. There is no busy work sent home. Students are expected to work hard in class and turn things in on time. If they don't, then it needs to come home to work on. If your child is a slow worker, he may have more homework, particularly in 11th and 12th grade. If your child is a hard worker, he probably won't have any homework.

Posted: December 12, 2015

Posted: December 12, 2015

We love SFT! My child had been frustrated, bored and put down at other schools. SFT gave him the support, confidence and skills he needed to be successful in college. He chose to go to a community college instead of a 4 year school to develop more maturity. The previous reviewer seems to blame the school for his student's expulsion, instead of the student. Don't believe things angry people write. SFT teaches compassion and doesn't put up with bullying at all. In this day of social media, students don't have to be on campus to cross the line. I highly recommend School for Tomorrow.

Posted: November 29, 2015

Posted: November 29, 2015

There have been many negative reviews lately and I would like to confirm that most of what people say is true. Many staff were fired last year and most have been replaced by low paid interns. Several students were also expelled last year for unfair reasons some of which didn't even occur on school property. This school struggles to get students to learn or to get them into college or even getting students to have consistent attendance. Last year, 1 out of 10 seniors is attended a four year college. Many people see this school as an easy way to get a diploma and that is sadly true. With private school tuitions continuing to go up in price, it doesn't really seem worth it anymore to waste money on a struggling school even if its easy to get a diploma. I would recommend people to stay away from this school as it is struggling right now.

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

Posted: November 3, 2015

The flurry of negative reviews on September 9, September 6, and August 26, as well as previous negative reviews, undoubtedly reflects the fact that SFT does indeed dismiss faculty members who are not serving students well, and does indeed remove students who are having an unacceptably negative impact on their fellow students -- unlike many other schools, which among other reasons are reluctant to do so because of the ability of disgruntled former employees and students (and their parents) to use forums such as this one to seek some sort of revenge.

Posted: September 9, 2015

The teachers are really nice. They definitely care about the students. Several teachers left during the school year and then a lot left at the end of each school year, so you kept having to get used to new teachers. Maybe the school does not hire the kind of teachers they want, or there is some other problem.

Posted: September 9, 2015

It really depends on the class and the teacher. I was told that we do not get grades at this school, but then there were grades on my transcript. I don't even know what the grades were based on.

Posted: September 9, 2015

Well, probably some of the students are honest and have integrity, but I don't think the administrators are very fair. A lot of students seem to get suspended or expelled, and you can't really say what you think. If you speak up when you think something is unfair, you are probably going to pay for it.

Posted: September 9, 2015

I had a really bad experience at this school. I don't think the school helps students prepare for life after high school.

Posted: September 6, 2015

The quality of teachers varied from very strong to very weak - some of the teachers are very committed - some don't respond to emails . In almost all cases feedback on assignments was minimal. Teachers and administrators seem overwhelmed despite very small class sizes.

Posted: September 6, 2015

The lack of any homework is a negative - having gone from 3-4 hours of homework a night to none was at first wonderful - but then it became too much downtown - requiring a little homework for each class - even just 30-45 minutes a night in total would be prepare students for working independently.

Posted: September 6, 2015

The school's practices are all determined by the head of the school and are not transparent. Students aren't really aware of class expectations, how grades or determined (or even what their grades are), and the discipline policy is that all decisions are made by the head of the school - with no due process or even clear guidelines.

Posted: September 6, 2015

We loved the philosophy behind the school - but it didn't work in practice. Classes were not individualized and expectations for student performance were extremely low - sometimes merely showing up for class was enough (and that is a struggle for many of the students). Most of the administrators and teachers are slow in responding to emails and concerns. It is not uncommon to have calls and emails never returned. In addition, students, parents and teachers that raise concerns about the school or more dangerous its leadership are often leave the school suddenly - and there are several instances where the head of the school has then sent out emails about these students and parents calling them names and accusing them of illegal behavior. There is no clear or constant policy on course expectations, grades (students and parents don't see grades but they are created for transcripts) or discipline. And, for a school that promises to help each child prepare for college and the world in a unique way - an overwhelming number of graduates feel ready for neither. Only one of more than 10 2015 graduates is currently attending a four year college. More than half did not have any plans upon graduation. An important question to ask is of the less than two dozen graduates of the school - Did they go to college? What are they doing now?

Posted: August 26, 2015

Most of the experienced teachers were fired or left. Now, there are mostly low-paid interns. There seem to be a LOT of administrators (who don't teach) for such a small school.

Posted: August 26, 2015

Homework policies are inconsistent and unclear. The rules and policies keep changing, sometimes in the middle of a term.

Posted: August 26, 2015

Posted: August 26, 2015

This school has serious problems. At the end of the last school year, many teachers were fired or left. Students are suspended and expelled for random reasons. Beware!

Posted: August 13, 2015

My sister went to this aweful mess of a "school" and deeply regrets it. She is very smart yet is redoing a grade because of this place. DON'T go there. This school has no real rules and all that matters is what the principal Alan thinks is best for him. Though the idea of this school is great it is not carried out at all.

Posted: August 10, 2015

Stay away from school for tomorrow. It is marketed as a school for everyone and a great place for intelligent students who need to progress faster than other schools will let them. This is a lie. The only way a student can excel at SFT a is if the student is incredibly self motivated to learn. All classes are slow and easy for an intelligent student, because the school doesn't want people of different levels of intelligence to fall behind. All individualized courses such as math and independent studies are completely unstructured. The only resources provided are textbooks, and occasionally help or suggestions from the teacher. A child with a computer and (spotty) wifi connection at home is roughly the equivalent of the SFT experience.
Also be warned that this school is more concerned with expansion than improvement. Also the rules and consequences are undefined, a fact which the principal (who has NO oversight) often exploits. Students have been expelled under strange circumstances. Students speaking out to better the school and suggesting fixes to its multitude of issues are often accused of being "slanderous liars" intent on "tearing down the school".
If you have absolutly no other option, school for tomorrow is still not the right school.

Posted: August 10, 2015

Recently the school fired many of the best teachers and replaced them with interns to cut costs.
Most of the teachers are kind, but also ineffective. In math classes the teachers hand you a book and tell you to complete the book, I found this to be an insufficient method, yet whenever I had a question, the teacher would often take over fifteen minutes to get around to me. Sporadic teaching does not work

Posted: August 10, 2015

The "reasonable homework" policy really just means no homework. I came from a school with far too much homework, so SFT was a relief. After a short while, I discovered that too little homework can be bad. I was no longer challenging myself to learn, because the school was making no attempt to challenge me.

Posted: March 6, 2015

My daughter has gained so much confidence since coming to SFT. She is much more willing to take risks. SFT's reasonable homework policy allows her time to pursue other interests. And the 9:30 starting time helps her get enough sleep. SFT doesn't do things the way everyone else does. SFT is always looking to improve. We love SFT!

Posted: March 1, 2015

SFT is fun and exciting. My student loves to go to school. I like that the students and faculty are open minded and accepting of everyone. SFT really is all about doing what is best for the students.

Posted: March 1, 2015

SFT has been a phenomenal learning environment for my high school aged daughter. With a reasonable starting time (9:30AM), she's now getting the sleep she needs and looks forward to going to school every day. I'm really pleased with the way the teachers are stimulating her thought process and challenging her to consider new ideas. Over the course of her time at SFT, she is really blossoming into a curious, open-minded kid who can work with others and engage with her work. I'm so glad we made the switch. I'm feeling so much more positive about her future and I can see she is, too.