Did you know that greatschools.net school reviews can be biased in favor of the school

Did you know that greatschools.net school reviews can be biased in favor of the school?
All reviews submitted to greatschools.net are sent to a 'parent review team'. If you have a negative opinion or experience, it potentially will not be posted. My son had a negative experience at Walgrove Elementary School in Los Angeles and I wanted to share it. My comment was a clear and concise statement of how poorly my son was treated at this school, but it was removed and now there are over 60 positive comments. Beware of all the positive reviews for Walgrove Elementary, because the deck is stacked in the school's favor.
Primary & Secondary Education - 4 Answers - 2009-12-04 07:26:35

Best Answer
Parent reviews are slanted one way or the other nearly 100% of the time. This is because little Johnny and Suzie can do no wrong and are perfect little angels. These blogs / sites and posts etc can monitor everything that is posted and the "moderator" can deem any thing inappropriate and delete it.

All Answers
Answer 1
I never read the parent reviews. I have visited some of the schools that received the best reviews in the city I live in. My visits were before, during, and after the review periods. Good or bad, I did not find anything that matched the parent reviews. I only go to the sight to look at information such as test scores, demographics, and students per teacher. You can get far more information from that. Parent reviews will always be subjective. They can't see past the end of their kid.
2009-12-04 07:33:35


Answer 3
I don't give much weight to a review from an anonymous parent I don't know. I just look at the test scores and number of students on greatschools, etc. I've read lots of negative reviews on greatschools, perhaps your review posed a legal issue? A website would be remiss to post something that may be defamation. I'm sure that some parents might encourage others with like opinions to post positive reviews. My son attends private school in LA and it took a lot of listening to find out the real story of each school. Parents who spend a lot of money are sometimes hesitant to say something negative about the school, and sometimes you have to dig to get the test scores, but my *detective* work paid off. A lot of the statements of which schools are the most friendly or the most rigorous is baloney. Hopefully other parents won't just take anonymous reviews as the absolute truth. Did you write to ask them why your comment was deleted? Good luck!
2009-12-04 21:27:06

Answer 4
I live in the neighborhood so I am familiar with Walgrove Elementary and I don't agree with all the positive reviews about the school. It's a poor performing school and it is struggling. The school could stand a change in leadership. Beethoven Street Elementary is a much better school and it's just a few blocks from Walgrove. Have a look at Beethoven.
2009-12-05 08:37:54