My son was at Don Bosco Technical Institute from his freshman year to the end of his junior year. I transferred him to the local high school for his senior year.
PROs: Nice, safe atmosphere, cordial. Excellent technical facilities (for technical classes). Good guidance system, very good counseling for college preparation, test prep, & admissions. Good overall set of activities (sports, clubs, etc.) integrated into school life. Welcoming, nice sense of propriety on campus. Relatively small size (~900 students) offers a certain closeness among students and teachers. The formality and rigor (uniforms, protocol, etc.) are appealing to many parents and even some students.
CONs: Teaching quality varies greatly. Overall, the pedagogy is no better than the average public high school. Additionally, of course, the tuition. The relatively small size can be a drawback, some facilities and opportunities are limited compared to larger schools. And despite the small overall population, the class sizes are no smaller than typical high schools. (~30 students or so)
CONs (continued): extra fees are everywhere. Lab fees, lab equipment, textbooks, and so forth - even bubble sheets for multiple-choice tests. Many required activities for parents.
~~~
The faculty and administration are much more close-knit than in larger, public schools. The opportunity to delve into several different technical areas (chemical/materials, electrical/computer, media arts, civil, etc.) is intriguing. However, students are required to decide the technical major in the freshman year, a hefty decision for the average 14-year-old.
Some of the teaching is quite good. A couple of my son's mathematics teachers were clear and organized. He liked the personal touch of the guidance counselors. One particular religion instructor was extraordinary.
The music program, though small, was quite nice. My son started from scratch, they taught him quite a bit, and he got a lot of experience that was very rewarding.
On the other hand, one English teacher was baffling. All the students to whom I spoke were confused about what he wanted, how the work was supposed to be done, and the grading system was opaque. Intro to computer science was a horrible disaster. The teacher babbled and told stories, sprinkled with textbook examples for the whole first semester. Most of the students had no experience in the topic and were bored, deeply confused, and very anxious. While that teacher is no longer there, the course was a nerve-racking mess for both students and parents. Students were far behind at the follow-up course, and since this was an introduction, it was a big turnoff to the topic.
The chemistry class was another bizarre episode. The teacher went into a variety of topics, at times in depth, that were not really essential for high school chemistry. Other topics were dragged out excessively. Amazingly, they did just four laboratories the entire year! (And only two of them were "real", quantitative laboratory experiences.) A typical chemistry teacher would do one or two a month.
The class spent an inordinate amount of time in their "science project", a sort of annual science fair that most students are required to do. While this is "science" exposure, it is rarely the required high school chemistry.
As a result, the students covered roughly half the standard material. If Bosco students from regular chemistry took the California state test in chemistry, they would be bewildered at the entire second half of the test.
I finally brought these matters to the attention of administration. They listened cordially, and clearly had no idea that the chemistry teacher never taught acids & bases, nuclear chemistry, and did a very cursory job on other fundamentals (stoichiometry, gas laws, basic labs). (I was told that such topics were for "honor students"!!)
The principal, in his patronizing way, claimed that the AP students' performance was exemplary. He doesn't acknowledge that DBTI hand-picks the best students for such courses, who are often able to succeed DESPITE the teacher (as conversations with several students confirmed.)
In fairness, the school employs the minimum staff to keep tuition down. Thus science teachers, overburdened with classes, do few labs. Department heads, while conscientious and talented, are too busy to monitor such situations.
I was not willing to pay another full year of tuition for more experiences like these. I transferred him into our local high school, he did fine there, and now is at the college of his choice.
~~~
Summary: this would be a good school to consider for a certain type of student. For a boy (who doesn't mind a school with no girls) who clearly has a technical inclination, leaning toward a specialty, this could be a good place. Do not have high expectations for standard teaching. Meanwhile, give a good look to your local (free) public high school. read more
