Reviews

Thank you for the feedback and for sharing your observations. At ASM, we feel it is critical that we look at all feedback as an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to do better. As a school, we review the data from parents, students, and staff in our annual community survey. In addition, I conduct individual exit interviews with our graduating students and we have small group sessions with new parents to learn from their fresh perspectives and transition experiences. Particularly in our focus groups and exit interviews, parents and students have remarked on the development and positive impact of new initiatives and changes we have made. The Upper School schedule, opportunities for student voice, choice, and initiative, the quality of our teachers, and the strength of our music and drama programs were all themes that came up again and again in these sessions.

We are proud of the academic level of our students and closely track IB results and college placements. ASM’s IB score has been 4 points above the world average for the last three years and in a non-selective school environment, this is a considerable achievement. ASM graduates go on to some of the most prestigious and selective colleges and universities in the world and while this is important to us we celebrate equally each student finding the university and program that fits their aspirations and dreams.

The ASM Board and administration are committed, as a non-profit school, to reinvest profits towards the balanced and continuous improvement of people, plant, and program. Specifically, ASM devotes significant significant resources to the professional learning opportunities of our staff. Our professional learning budget is above the average for the international school sector. Our professional learning opportunities include; bringing in internationally known consultants in different fields and disciplines, sending our teachers to key conferences and training sessions, as well as having instructional coaches in all divisions to provide annoying, direct, and job-embedded feedback opportunities for our faculty.

It is true that we experienced turnover in the Middle School Math department in the last few years. Hiring staff internationally as we went through the covid years provided a new set of challenges and personal situations. However, it is important to note that when we have a teacher in our higher level classes, particularly IB classes, who may be out for an extended time for maternity or medical reasons, we hire a full-time, IB-trained, and experienced faculty member for a full year to ensure we can have the best possible continuity of program and consistency of the learning experience for our students.

Finally, you are correct that as a private school, we have families with significant means. We also have families for whom paying tuition represents a real sacrifice. Our community is deliberately made up of one-third American, one-third Spanish families, and one-third international families who this year represent 80 different countries. We believe our diversity is our strength and the quality of the partnership between school and parents is essential for continued and sustained excellence.

Again, thank you for your feedback, and be assured that we take your comments and perspective seriously. The only path to true excellence is through a dedication to continuous improvement and a willingness to take feedback to heart.

Ben Weinberg, ASM Headmaster