It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 8

Schools are often rated by the results of assessment scores. This may be the least valid way to evaluate the quality of a school. Yet it's the way we currently judge our success or failure.

There is no strong correlation between assessment and enrollment.

Assessments
     Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)
     Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT

Test Scores Ranked With Enrollment
     # 1 Barrington HS    (1,116)
     # 2 N. Kingstown HS (1,383)
     # 3 Portsmouth HS (902)
     # 4 Exeter/W Greenwich Reg HS  (500)

Compare the results of just four of the schools in this study. Then think about why these schools are at the top of the list.

Could it have something to do with the economy of the location?  Could it be influenced by the educational level and prosperity of those parents whose children live in the community?

Then ask if those schools that have less impressive results are still able to provide an outstanding education for the high achievers? If the answer is YES, then the rank of the test scores is not really a reflection of the quality of a school – its program or its level of achievement.

Educational quality is measured by the ability of a school to serve all of its students in the manner that will best prepare them for the future, not by an arbitrary number that claims to measure equals – when student equality is a goal, not an existing condition.

Better is this question that deserves to be asked and answered:  Does your school provide all that is needed to prepare all of its students for successful adulthood?  If it does not, then what needs to be done to ensure it meets those requirements? 

Greater size does equal opportunity for more kids. It’s a start. But that’s not enough.

The prescription for educational health is Yes! Greater size! but within an organization that has vision, leadership, and good financial management.

Do not settle! Demand it!