Research Burton International School public Schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“I am a parent and a teacher at a different DPS school. I believe in supporting DPS Schools. I like Burton, my son had to adjust going to 6th grade there. He is now in 7th grade. I understand that no one is perfect, but Burton is doing an excellent job with what DPS has given them. I like how everything is in writing and laid out. I like my son's teachers and the outlines in their syllabus. I think that parents shouldn't be so hard on teachers. They spend so much of their own money. Parents should be supportive of their children's teachers and give them any assisstance they need. I am satisfied that he is challenged academically. No one has control over the building, I paint my own classroom to change my environment.”

“From grades 2-6 I went to Burton International, and I hated it like most students do. The teachers were incredibly strict. Now I am in 8th grade at Ferndale Middle School. It's alright. But now, looking back, I realise it is a much better school that I had previously thought. The wrok was harder, but the teachers were teaching well enough that it seemed easy, In 7th grade at FMS I was learning stuff that I had learned in 5th grade at burton.”

“All schools aren't perfect but they can be some what perfect. I'm a student that just recently graduted and I've been there since the 3rd grade. When I first got there I was doing great and was having great challenges, but now that has started to fade in the past years that I've been going. They still do have great teachers but some aren't so good. And I also don't like the fact that they are constantly changing things....I mean changes are good but not all the time. I mean they're stupid changes. The one great thing that hasn't changed is the atmosphere of the school, which many schools lack.”

“I had two childern attend Burton Int. I at first thought it was a good school, better than my neighborhood school. I found out over the years that it was not living up to their reputation of being a great school. They offered German to them in the 2nd grade and then stoped. Then after that they had several different foriegn language teachers, 6 to be exact. They have a great principal but they have teachers that need to find other jobs. Every year there is something changing and not enough discipline, not enough parent involvement. The same ones always step up and get the work done. No school is perfect but , Burton is not on top like they use to, they are not the old Burton”

“I am a parent and a teacher. I two children who attend Burton International. I don't know how much assistance my older son was receiving in third grade. In exception to reading, I think the other subjects were taught with the 'you should know this' already mentality and didn't take the time to go back and reteach what a student didn't get. I did not like the unorganization and the noise level of the students in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning, the students are extremely loud and are not in any order. They are not in line, nor is there a teacher in hallway meeting their students to take them to their classes in an orderly manner (especially the older children who have to go upstairs). In the afternoon, it is the same...no type of order. They should be waiting in line to be picked up.”

“I think this school is horrible! I dont like it beacause this school is stressing and misrible I hope that this year could be better and also the teachers just expects the students to understand the work . i dont get much help beacause the classes are too big .”

“I am a parent who loves Burton and since my husband and I brought our son in the fall until now we see a huge difference in his reading and comprehension level. His kindergarten teacher gave us a list of words to know at the beginning of the year, half of which he knew. Now he knows all those words and more. His math has improved, and his teacher started teaching him Spanish in the last 6 weeks. He has always been challenged with the work. Consistent parent involvement is about 5% at the parent meetings, although if there is a special occasion, I have seen parents make the time and come out. I think it's sad to see parents expect everything from a school, or one teacher. The teacher's job is to expose and our job is to reinforce.”

“Not a good school at all! Hand Down! Unfortunately, my son spent two years at the shool and did not learn half of what he should of. The teachers are not committed to helping studens on all levels. Not enough parent involvement on a regular basis. The school is very diminished inside, although, parents have offered to help paint and with updates. As far as the diversity goes, not enough celebration and appreciation for it. No Spanish or other foreign language classes taught to 2nd and 3rd graders. Very little extra curriculum after school activities. No committment to tutorial services unless your child is diagnosed with a disability. Soooooooooo unfortunate. Although the principal is trying, this school has definately lost it's reputation.”

“burton international is in need of a new building last year the room's are in adequate.”

“I am currently a burton international parent. I am very very unpleased. When my child transferred to this school, they stopped learning. I know that no school is 'Perfect' but this school is no where close. It has a very high reputation, but thats old and it no longer -if it ever did- live up to the name.”

“This school is great. The only problem is that it is a Detroit Public School, so it's low on funds, although there a casino in the area. Motor City Casino should pay some tax money to the school like in other cities. Burton is a great school with great teachers”

“Burton is definitely not what it's reputation eludes. I took my child for the kindergarten interview. I was very uncomfortable and the prinicpal was way too dramatic. In addition, the first question the two interviewers asked my child as they sat across the table from her was ' Why do you want to come to Burton'? She is 4 years old. It went downhill from there. Wewere applying to numerous schools and Burton was not top on the list. She knows she was going to kindergarten, but name of the school was of little importance to her. I think that this school should reevaluate their entrance procedures. I am definitely turned off and would not recommend this school to anyone.”

“I currently have my son enrolled in first grade at 'the Great Burton International ' . I have mixed feelings about the school. Academically, my son is challenged and is learning above grade level. He is happy and so far fairing well. Teachers seem to be very concerned about the students well being. That said, I do not see what is international about this school. There is not much diversity in the student body, the younger grades are not exposed to international studies or foreign language as indicated prior to my enrollment. Communication between the staff and parents is lacking and little to know accountability for parent involvement despite signed contracts for annual volunteer hours. The school is old and cramped and needs some TLC.”

“I am parent and a teacher from a district other than DPS. I love Burton. The principal is a wonderful man devoted to excellence in and from his staff and his charges- his studetns! my son is in the art club and the robotics club. My daughter is in the academic games (also a sort of math club.) Keep up the good work Burton Int'l. I will always support you.”

“I am a parent and despite what others have said this school improved my children's academic ability greatly. They went to private schools, charter schools and also other public schools and Burton is by far one of the best. The teachers are wonderful, although sometimes other students may be disruptive, they are quickly put into their place. This school is great!”

“My son and daughter both went to this school and they were miserable. I saw no improvement in their knowledge and the school does nothing about physical violence in their environment.”

“My son attended Burton International 2006-2007. Being a former educator I found the school significantly lacking in qualities I was hoping would surface in a school with such a 'stellar' reputation. I believe it may have been a good decent school many years ago (perhaps 20 or so) but, not being native of the Detroit area, I was grossly disappointed with the academic, social, and lack of extracurricular activities there. My son came from a public charter school(with certified teachers, as well) where I wasn't pleased either so, I tried a DPS...what a let down. I do understand budgetary restraints but, it should never be so evident. I am a parent who is involved in his education daily and couldn't even get the appropriate books and materials to assist him with homework. Thumbs down on Burton and DPS.”

“I am currently a student at burton international and our school needs lots of improvement. The teachers hardly ever do anything when there is trouble and the principal usually has to take care of the problems. Our extracurricular activities need to be more diverse. We need more variety. The school has way too many problems. I am very smart and some of our teachers are really good. We need security though. And the parents really aren't that involved. They don't give our school any support. And if you need help you often can't really get it from the teachers. You have to pay for tutoring or something. We need help but we could do it if everyone gets involved.”

“My daughter is currently in the 3rd grade and has been at Burton since Kindergarten. She is progressing well in her academics. Her reading skills are at her current grade level, and I'm not happy about that, but that is because we aren't reading enough at home and we've been working on that over the summer. She has had Wonderful teachers, and I love Dr. Wilson's approach to discipline dealing with students and parents. My only knocks are in the area of extracurricular activities (not enough at lower grades) and Burton being linked to the problems of DPS. I wish all schools were of this caliber. It is amazing what is accomplished with so few resources. I can only imagine what could happen with better funding.”

“my child was picked on everyday. Her grades and test scores were slipping horrendously. I addressed the problem to the staff, principal, and superintendent. Nothing ever changed and she still was picked on until I pulled her out of the school. She now goes to Bates Academy and is doing amazing. She has made tons of friends and her grades are excellent. I suggest that every parent that cares about there child's safety please take them out of this horrible school.”

“My oldest daughter graduated from Burton and now my youngest daughter is attending. Although, I will be removing my daughter to go into a neighborhood school. This is because of burn-out from extensive studies over the course of six years. I recommend if a parent sends their child to Burton be prepared to work along side your child in their studies. Burton is a very good and fast paced school that place high demands on the child. The school is very challenging, so if you want your child to succeed at Burtion Brushup on your own academic skills, you will need it.”

“I went to Burton for two days and couldn't stand it. I had to transfer schools in the beginning of the year. They were teaching things that I learned thee previous year. I would not recommend attending Burton International.”

“My oldest daughter graduated from Burton and went to Cass Tech High school graduating with Honors. Now she is attending Eastern Michigan University for Engineering. I would like to thank Burton for all their efforts to making this possible. My youngest daughter is now attending Burton International and knows that it is very, very, very challenging but she is up to the challenge. Burton is a school for students who are properly groomed in Math, Science, and Reading. Parents will need to be able to work with their child on assignments if they want their child to succeed there. So, if you are not somewhat educated and able to contribute to your child education then it may be difficult for your child.”

“Although this school is an 'international' school, they actually don't teach the students exactly how important it is to respect and appreciate other cultures. The school has a few excellent teachers but I found their curriculum lacking in preparing their students for high school. They could also work on their extracurricular activities, considering the only thing they really have going on after school is basketball practice. I'm a graduate of 2005 and currently going to Renaissance High School and I found it hard to adjust to their strenuous curriculum since I wasn't well prepared for it.”

“I was very excited when my oldest child was admitted to Burton. I had dreamt of my children going to Burton since I was in High School because of their excellent reputatipn. However, I found that all Burton can really offer is its reputation. There were very few extra caricular activities, the school itself was a dump, and I found the Principal difficult to deal with. More than anything they stressed test scores. With so much focus on MEAP I think they have lost sight of the children. Since they are a DPS they were subject to the same budget crisis as the rest of the district which forced the really good teachers to leave. After 3 years I decided to remove my oldest child from Burton and enroll her in a new school with my Kindergardener. I was very disappointed in Burton.”

“Burton International is only geared toward children that are advanced. If your child is having any difficulties they offer mimimum help. This school is definitely over rated. I would suggest this school if your child is well advanced and already know the materials being taught. I can say it use to be a good school, but a 'reputation' for being a good school some how overpowered the genuine concern to help each child on an individual level.”

“I used to attend Burton International. It was a good school. I felt as though Burton was my home away from home. It helped me make my way into Cass Tech. I admit, I thought the school was kind of cheap, but hopefully that's changed now. But overall, you won't regret sending your children to Burton. -Simi”

“This school is geared towards diversity which is good, but does not nurture children who are educationaly sound but may be lacking in their social skills. This is a public school but wants to weed out families who don't fit into 'their norm.' But on the up side, children are more exposed to educational experiences that regular neighborhood schools don't take advantage of.”

“I have two sons attending Burton International, and my first criteria for choosing a school is if my children are happy with the school. My boys are perfectly happy with their school. So if they feel comfortable there, then I am happy as well because academically and socially it is a good fit for my sons. I also like the school and try to participate in all the activities that I can. I love their incentive program for good behavior - The Reward Store - students recieve 'Burton Bucks' for good behavior to purchase items in the store. I love the Principal, Dr. Wilson, you can tell that he loves his job and he is all about helping our students to excell. The teachers are fabulous because they also love their school and are willing to follow Dr. Wilson's lead and they too does what it takes to help our kids.”

“My initial findings on Burton International were great. From kindergarten through the 3rd or 4th grades, my childs experiences were fantastic. A couple of the better teachers left Burton soon, thereafter. His science teacher was the absolute best! He was, from the beginning the type of teacher to get involved, offer suggestions and truly cared. I found that in my childs last couple of years there, that his experiences were not so great, anymore. I saw about four principals come and go. It seemed that if a student was not at the top of his academic game that he or she could easily be put aside to focus on those that did not require as much attention. This is unfortunate and hopefully this is no longer the situation. The idea of only teaching the gifted was not made clear to some of the parents either.”

“I am a graduate of this school. I now attend Renaissace High, and i am getting ready to graduate. I believe that this school prepared me very well for my future endeavors. I highly recommend this school.”

“This school is a good school the teacher my son had from K-8 making it easier for her to get to high school, the after school programs ae free except for karate. They include volleyball, basketball, handbells and violins, chess,and prep. The principall has done a fine job off keeping the school in a clean enviroment for the students to learn, their are also activities like multi-cultural day which focus on different types of backrounds. The homework given it suitable enough for my son to learn and the teacher would revise with a test every friday. I would reccomend this school to everybody.”