I attended PWI for an "intensive" seminar a while back. At first, everybody was very nice to me…read more But once i presented myself as a Zionist, many of the students, and even some of the staff members, changed their behaviour towards me, and a few did more than just that, and personally attacked me. The degree provided by the institute has a very limited recognition, and you probably will not be able to use it to enter higher education in any other respected academic institutes. I gave it a one star because (unless you are a Zionist), its courses are a nice morning nap if you plan a trip to portland.

The Process Work Institute has been a wonderful community learning experience for me. It gave me a…read moresense of belonging and coming home. I have taken classes there over the last 30 years. I have so many great experiences of sitting with Arny and Amy and many colleagues from around the world. We would talk, share and think together of how to help make the world a better place. I graduated from the self guided diploma program and now use process work in my somatic work. This field of study has helped me to prevent burn out in my field as a physician. It has also helped with relationships and has enhanced my life in so many ways.

Our son didn't do very well on the SAT the first time he took it. We heard about Tutor Doctor…read morethrough a friend, and were really impressed with the professionalism of communication and feedback. The tutor was matched well to our son, we got detailed weekly feedback on how he was doing...and when he retook the SAT he improved his score by 110 points, and got into his first-choice college. Satisfied customer!

It was a pleasure working with Tutor Doctor. We loved our tutor, she was very responsive to our…read moresons needs, part of which was making sure the experience was fun for him. He got help with writing and math for second grade. He was behind with writing due to a mild physical issue, so really just needed extra practice to gain strength in his hands. Our tutor found fun ways to keep him on it, while also allowing him to show off his advanced story telling and imagination skills. I will also ad, and this is important, when we had some issues with billing, my fault for not reading the agreement carefully, not theirs, they were extremely accommodating and made sure our family felt good about the experience. Seeing what a business does when things get messed up tells you so much more about the integrity of the business owner than when things go smoothly. Good people running this business, we will definitely reach out again if our kids needs support.

My updated review reflects our family's experience at Ren from grades 1-8. Our child is now a…read moreFreshman at St Mary's Academy and is on the honor roll despite having some learning differences. Ren prepared our daughter for a rigorous college prep program. Although she had some nervousness about final exams and needed a primer on letter grades and GPA, she was academically well-prepared. The girls who attend St Mary's after Ren School seem to excel. Most importantly, Ren was instrumental in helping my daughter develop a strong sense of herself. Ren's holistic approach to education, with a focus on social and emotional development, is stellar. It mattered to me that our daughter's education encompassed far more than just book learning. Over the years, she was nurtured and went from a timid and anxious child to a confident and creative young woman. As a college professor, I recognize the importance of academic preparedness. I also know that social and emotional stressors can make it challenging to learn. Being in a safe community where she was known and cared for by all the teachers meant the world to our family. Thank you, Ren!

Ren is still a really magical place, as per my previous review. Like at most smaller schools,…read morespecific experiences and accommodations will vary by grade and teacher, which means it can be a bit of a roll of the dice year to year. My experiences thus far are still all with the lower school, which has a noticeably different feel than the upper, though there's abundant mingling in all the good ways. Reading through a bunch of other more recent reviews I'm updating mine to reflect reality on some points that others have found frustrating in theirs: * The school does not have specific services, expertise or accommodations for neurodiverse kids. There is no counselor or administrator with specific training or credentials for helping ND scholars, and the overall body of staff lacks up-to-date pedagogy and training on the most current and effective ways to help these students, though there are *plenty* of well-meaning, helpful adults on the team, who do their very best. That said, the open, creative and varied nature of the environment *can* make it a much better fit for some ND kids than a standard classroom, and as such there are many ND kids in the student body who are thriving. But it's important to make sure that your kiddo will fit within the (not super explicit) boundaries when deciding if Ren is a good fit. Be open and clear about any special needs/quirks/features of your child to make sure it'll be a good fit, and if your visit day leaves you with open questions, ask for another one! Everyone wants everyone to succeed and no one is helped by accepting a student who won't flourish. * The school is not well organized, in terms of paperwork, documentation, administrivia, follow-up, etc. If you're looking for the well-oiled accountable machine of larger or more established environments, you may find this very frustrating. Everything takes a while, and you generally have to bring things up a bunch of times before things start moving. It's a worthwhile trade for a space where your kid can feel safe and happy, but one you need to decide to make so it doesn't irk you along the way. * While the kids form solid and important relationships in school, that does not extend out to the parent-body, which can leave some families feeling isolated. No PTA or parent interest groups, and minimal volunteer participation, though there is a core of very willing and available parents who show up if an effort can be organized for a specific issue or by a specific class. I remain an enthusiastic parent of multiple scholars, and am grateful that a welcoming and creative space like Ren exists, even if it does have rough edges to keep working on. If you find me in a local parent group or some such thing, I'm always happy to talk about Ren and answer questions. Good luck!

I'd been exploring using NWRC for nearly three years for my son when I finally pulled the trigger…read moreand enrolled him. I'm so grateful I finally made the decision because it's made an even bigger difference than I thought possible! NWRC's team is consistent, conscientious, and detailed. They got to know my son (both through their extensive testing, and also by working so closely with him one on one) and due to their, and his, hard work he finally broke through a number of issues he'd be struggling with when it came to reading. He now reads above grade level and is able to experience more success in other areas of his education as a result of finally having strong reading skills. If you're on the fence, just go ahead and enroll. You absolutely will not regret it.

NW reading clinic was able to do for my daughter what the public school system failed to do for…read moreyears- bring her reading level up! If your first thought is "it's too expensive"- you are not alone. Did we love spending this much money? No- but the quality of instruction at NW reading clinic is really top notch. No amount "regular tutors" were going to help our daughters achievements in the way that Northwest Reading clinic was able to. She progressed significantly in the Time that she worked with Northwest Reading clinic, and we will be doing another few months this summer again to help her further progress. If your child has challenges in reading, run, don't walk, to their website now and get your child evaluated. You will be glad you did. (and our daughter loved both of her tutors Tutors!!!)

We have now been at this school for three years and we could not be happier. We left our…read moreneighborhood school mid-year because our son was being bullied and despite numerous conversations with his teacher, the counselor, and the principal little to nothing was done. When I picked our son up from his shadow day at FMES, he said it was the best day of his life. Within a week he was more joyful than he'd ever been at our neighborhood school. Three years later, he has some of the sweetest friends and is the happiest I've ever seen him. This past weekend (end of spring break) he said he was missing school because he is really enjoying math. Our younger son has ADHD and is also thriving. The options and flexibility really work well for him. FMES feels different from the moment you walk through the door. It's a very warm and welcoming community. Having taught special education in public schools for twelves years it was tough for us to make the decision to switch but we could not be happier. The love and care our children receive at FMES protects their innocence and joy, giving them a wonderful childhood.

I love FMES for so many reasons…read more When our needs were not being met by the public school system, the amazing teachers at FMES helped identify what our kids needed almost instantly. I'm not a fan of all Montessori pedagogy, but they have such a wonderful blend of taking the best parts, and being flexible where it's not working. The leadership was incredibly thoughtful, patient, and communicative in dealing with the pandemic. I felt respected, heard, and most importantly, that our kid's safety AND education were being put at the forefront. Lastly, the environment is open to all sorts of people. The religious components are opt-in. We were literally in tears of joy after the tour, feeling that we had found a match for our family. Four years later, we couldn't be happier, and now have FOUR kids enrolled. That shows how happy we are!

I didn't know anything about Montessori before enrolling my kids at Sunstone. I am now a…read morefull-fledged convert to the Montessori method. This school has been fantastic for our children--not only are they learning but, more importantly, they are developing a love of learning. They have gone from feeling indifferent to school to doing long division at home for fun, or begging us to sign them up for after school classes.

We didn't know much about Montessori before enrolling our son at Sunstone Montessori four years…read moreago. We've appreciated the wealth of parent education nights that have informed us about the absolute brilliance that is Montessori education. Wow, Maria Montessori. Each time we're at the school for parent education or some sweet gathering for families, we feel starry eyed and grateful to be able to have our kids at a Montessori school. On top of that, Sunstone is a great community of compassionate people. The year is full of sweet community events and seasonal gatherings. My kids look forward to school the great majority of their days and come home proud of the research/math/knitting or other awesome things they've done. The guides are all excellent, committed and caring, and clearly like family with each other. Truly my only complaint is that I wish we could walk there! And I wish they'd start a high school!

I have two children attending Little Village and couldn't be more thrilled with their experience…read morethere. My kids started attending this fall when they first opened after attending another Montessori school last year (which unfortunately closed). Of the many things I appreciate about the school, my favorite aspect is the quality of teachers. My 4 year old daughter is quite strong willed and I love how the teachers provide her with clear boundaries while also celebrating her desire to be constantly on the go. My daughter responds so well to the respectful way she is treated and we've noticed at home how her behavior has changed positively because of the language and social skills they provide her with at school. My son started when he was 2 1/2 and I was worried he'd be overwhelmed by the multi-aged class but the teachers create an inclusive environment in which they encourage the older children to help the younger. He's doing so well there. On top of the loving environment, which is most important to me at their ages, the educational aspect is blowing my mind. When I tell my mom, who was an elementary teacher for over 40 years, what the kids have been working on she is impressed with the wide variety of subjects as well as the kids excitement for their work. I could go on and on with all the ways we appreciate this school, but here are just a few bullet points that might be helpful for other parents looking for a preschool. -Lunch is provided and it's healthful, mostly organic and made on site. -They learn so much through music and have a special music class a week on top of the daily song/calendar/circle time. -The space is very clean, calm and inviting. -Children get quality one on one time with the teachers as the student to teacher ratio is low. -There have been 3 holiday programs/parties so far on the weekends or evenings that are so special and fun. While we lived in Sellwood when the kids started school, we've recently move 20 minutes away and considered changing schools to something closer. We've realized that a school experience as quality as this is worth the drive time and we will happily be staying through Kindergarten. I'm not sure if it's listed on their website, but they do offer tours and observation times for prospective parents.

Our experience thus far with Little Village has been nothing short of amazing! My daughter has…read morechanged quite drastically and I believe that much of her change is due in part to the Montessori learning method, but mostly because of the teachers and faculty of Little Village. Upon entering LVM, my daughter has been challenged by the curriculum and the work, but most importantly, accepted and loved by the teachers. The school itself is clean, organized, and a happy place to attend. We are greeted each morning with smiles and excitement. I will be enrolling my younger daughter next year and can't say enough good things about this school!

You're not really going to make a choice about schools based on a review from Yelp, right? Go…read morevisit the school, check out their website, attend a game or play or lecture. Even a monthly parent-school meeting will show you the possibilities and opportunities that your child could glean from OES. The summer program offerings are a great place to start--look into it. While you're at it, sign your child up for an enrichment learning activity. We loved meeting the middle school drama teacher and the varsity basketball coach through summer camps. Want to see inspired teaching and learning? Make an appointment to visit classrooms and chat with teachers and students. It will be worth your effort. Maybe you've heard the cliche about schools and teachers and fellow students that help children discover and envision themselves in new, amazing ways. In our experience, that movie cliche holds true. Our son loves his learning experiences here. Even with a minimum of a 90 minute round trip commute to and from school, he looks forward to school every day and leaves at year's end with a deeper understanding of himself, his responsibilities as a human, and of a deep respect for others around him.

This School is The best The teachers are so kind. And they teach you about kindness…read moreYou should definitely go to school