Research Arts Impact (Aims) Middle School public Schools in Parma Heights, Ohio

“I was so excited and proud when my daughter lotteried into this school. She has always been a bright, artistically inclined young lady, and on the surface A.I.M.S. sparkles pretty well--but there is definitely something going on with students bullying other students AND teachers. The past two years that she has gone to this school have been pretty rough...it looks like we are going to have to transfer her b/c of the bullying going on when teachers aren't looking. It is unfortunate that a school at which there is so much opportunity for young people to succeed and excell both artistically and academically must contend with small-time thugs, racial tensions, and major bullying. My daughter's grades have dropped dangerously low and she continues to be surreptiously bullied and ostrasized day in and day out. I would strongly caution parents to weigh these issues before sending their child here.”

“My daughter just started AIMS this year, and she is doing great! I have met and talked to all of her teachers, and they were very friendly and helpful concerning helping students with the hard transition from grade school to middle school. AIMS has a great incentive for students, called a Panther Gold Card, and I am proud to say that my daughter aquired this after her first month of school. She did have the dreaded summer homework packet, but she successfully completed it, and it proved to be a tremendous bonding opportunity for the both of us. All in all, a great school!”

“Where to begin???? We heard so many great thing's about A.I.M.S; we did the lottery to get our daughter in and now we wish we had let her to go her regular school. There is no parent/ teacher realtionships..it is now e-mail-ships. Dress code...hummm how about the teachers have to wear a uniform as well, that seems fair...Gene Harris is going for everyone be the same, so it should go for teachers as well. Lunch time should be for eating not homework, nor should it be all about silence. I had a teacher phone me at work because my daughter giggled at lunch time. Summer break....let's look at that closely....summer and break. I know what word stands out break...summer homework...summer is family time not school time. The teachers should do summer homework as well. Overall I give AIMS 0 out of 5 stars.”

“In the 5 years that AIMS has had reviews on this site the comments have gone from great to terrible. I as a parent don't feel I'm asking a lot of the school, teach my child to learn don't teach her soley on the 'No Child Left Behind' tests. Don't give her a C on an English paper because she didn't read it as you would like for her to. There's bullys and thugs. This is where my daughter is going? This is what is accepted there? Team up a good student with one that doesn't do well and what happens..the good students grade goes down & the poor students grades gets better...how is this good for my daughter again? The kids have no say in their school,admin does not listen, there's no gym, there's little time to even have lunch. I'm sadden to be associated with this school.”

“AIMS was recommended to us as THE middle school to enroll our son with Asperger's Syndrome into. So, we did. While I'm sure there are some children who indisputably benefited from the program there - the benefit to our son was definitely disputable. The biggest problems seem to be an over-protectiveness of their authority on the part of the resource teachers, and an insufficient understanding of the nature and effect of this disorder on behavior and learning. This led to many poor decisions about discipline, skills teaching and therapies for my son. There is no way that I know of to force them to undergo additional training. But, I wish there was. My advice if you send your kid to AIMS: figure out what your kid needs, write your own IEP, and force them to comply by whatever means necessary.”

“AIMS is the best school ever! The reason that I am attending AIMS is because I wanted to go to Fort Hayes High School. The middle school is right on the campus and all of the middle and high school students seem to be nice. I am a 6th grader there and love it. All of my teachers are fantastic! I was an eclipse class student last year and the year before. I learned allot in that and I am learning soooooo much more this year. The teachers are fun and I am a 4.0 student. I recommend AIMS for anyone who loves the arts (3D, 2D, Orchestra, Band, Percussion, and Dance). The only bad thing about it is the small bullying problems. Overall, AIMS is a one of a kind school that I think is the Best!!”

“My daughter is a 7th grader at A.I.M.S and I thought this school would be a great thing for her, I was wrong. she was an honor roll student all through elementary school and has not had anything close to that her 2 years here. a few of her teachers need to re-evaluate their job, I dont think they should(or want to) be teachers. I am not sending her back next year. it is sad that a chance like this turned out this way. hopefully they can get better leadership and teacher quality soon.”

“My oldest son graduated from AIMS last year and through my experience with AIMS it was good. Now my youngest son attends and it appears that the teachers do not want parents coming into the classroom that challenge them but instead they want to deal with parents that will go along with whatever is going on. I feel that some of the teachers have favorites and will not engage the other students, I also feel that some teachers are disrespectful towards the children but they expect our children to respect them. My mission is the success of my son however it does not appear that the teachers have the same mission. I feel that some of the teachers try intimidating the incoming 6th graders, who are already experiencing anxiety due to change and many other things. Teresa, parent”

“Focus seems to be on attendance not education. I am not getting the full picture, you email a teacher they never reply back. Can't call during school because I'm at work & they are in class. My child has NO time between classes to even use the bathroom. Communication is spotty at best. Just not what I was expecting from a school that was to be strong on the arts and education. Education doesn't seem to be the emphasis anymore just attendance. I may be just out of the loop but overall I don't see an improvement in my childs education if anything it's gotten worse. Last year my child was on the honor roll several times a big change from 5th Grade to 6th.”

“Disappointed in the overall leadership of the program. Few classroom teachers buy into and understand the true meaning of Infusing the Arts into the Curriculum without making it extra lengthy home assignments. The Arts do a good job of reinforcing the curriculum however. Concerns about safety and positive behavior reinforcement using positive modeling in the classroom. Awesome Art teachers and support staff for students though. They get it & is what makes this school work! Parents are involved and want this program to succeed.”

“This school started out with a strong philosophy that united staff students and parents Unfortunately, the original intent of the school--to provide an arts alternative--has been undone over the past several years. The school has become another test score mill.”

“A wonderful school for a child that needs to be challenged. Very heavy on homework though. 2-3 hours a night is not at all unusual. My child has gotten a great education all things considered.”

“My daughter just started attending Aims and she loves it. They have a great list of academics as well as art programs. The teachers are great.”

“I love this school. This school provides dance, drama,art, and steel drum band. The rating I would give this school is a 5 out of 5. I would like to thank Mr. Mastroianni ( my 7th grade teacher) and i would like to thank Mr. Todd. They also have lots of new student teacher that helps alot.”

“This school is excellent for parents who work and want to be involved with their child's education. Not only do they get wonderful involvement with the arts, but the teachers understand that you can't always make it there for conferences. One teacher actually contacts me on a daily basis via e-mail to keep me up to date on my child's progress! Wonderful!”

“Arts IMPACT Middle school offers excellent art and academic classes. The teachers make coming to school fun and interesting for students. Also they offer art classes that no other Columbus Public School has. Drama, two dance classes, Steel Drum Band, Marimba Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Visual Art 2D, Visual Art 3D, Band,and Strings. My personal favorite would have to be Steel Drum Band with Mr. J. His major is the reason most students come to school on Mon, Wed, and Fri. He makes learning fun and worth while.”

“The school offers a shockingly large number of art classes (two music classes, two art, drama, dance) taught by talented instructors. It offers a wide range of extracurricular activities. The building is large and facilitates the needs of the school well--there is a full-size dance room with a professional dance floor, for instance.”

“Aims is my favorite school of all time i have so much fun learning there. i wish it whent up to 12th grade too bad its my last year it makes me soo sad. And i would have to say that my favorite teacher at aims is Mrs.Roth she is the sweetest teacher ive ever had and makes school worth going to.”