[ArkansasSlim]

The Arkansas Policy Foundation has graded all Arkansas schools using the ninth grade SAT scores for school year 2007-2008, and giving grades "A" through "F". Since it is not feasible to post all 70+ grades here, if you are interested in a specific school or schools, reply here and I will respond.

[Dr. Foosball]

Alma
Greenwood
Van Buren
Cedarville
Ramsey (Fort Smith)
Chaffin (Fort Smith)

[ArkansasSlim]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

Alma
Greenwood
Van Buren
Cedarville
Ramsey (Fort Smith)
Chaffin (Fort Smith)

Well Doc, and anyone else reading this thread, late last night I realized I should have posted how to access that info instead of leaving it dangling like I did. And to add to the problem, I cannot find that list in this bottomless pit I call a desk. Anyway, download Arkansas Policy Foundation and it will give links to that, and more. In fact, it is a very interesting and informative site. 'sor 'bout dat!

[Dr. Foosball]

I couldn't find the whole list, but I did find the article referring to it. Here is an excerpt (with citation).

Arkansas Policy Foundation

Top Districts (A Grade)

Districts receiving top grades (A or A-minus) in the study are Lake Hamilton, Bentonville, Pottsville, Fayetteville, Conway, Lakeside (Garland County), Mena, Bryant, Searcy, Scranton, Valley View, Salem, Greenwood, Mountainburg, Dardanelle, Bismarck, and Parkers Chapel.

Failing Districts (F Grade)

Districts receiving failing (F) grades are Forrest City, Dermott, Augusta, Helena-West Helena, Turrell, Earle, Hughes, Dollarway, and Hermitage.

I haven't heard of most of the failing districts, so I am assuming they are in either Eastern or Southern Arkansas. Not too surprising.

I would like to see the correlation of the teachers' salary schedule compared to the success rate of these schools. I know G-wood, Bentonville, & Fayetteville pay decent, but I don't know about the failing schools (Mountainburg pays almost state minimum and made an A).

[ArkansasSlim]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

I couldn't find the whole list, but I did find the article referring to it. Here is an excerpt (with citation).

Arkansas Policy Foundation



I haven't heard of most of the failing districts, so I am assuming they are in either Eastern or Southern Arkansas. Not too surprising.

I would like to see the correlation of the teachers' salary schedule compared to the success rate of these schools. I know G-wood, Bentonville, & Fayetteville pay decent, but I don't know about the failing schools (Mountainburg pays almost state minimum and made an A).

Yes, that correlation would be interesting to know. I know the Little Rock School District pays very good, but none of their schools made the A/A- cut. Some I know about (except salaries) are; Lakeside is a fairly large school in the country outside Hot Springs, Pottsville is a wide place in the road, Mena is a small (5,000 pop) country community, and Bismarck is a country crossroads. So, one may assume, quality/dedication of teaching staff is the key.

[jenni-b]

here's the list:

http://www.arkansaspolicyfoundation....nkings0708.pdf

[DC at the Ridge]

After looking over the link, it doesn't seem that school performance is tied so much to teacher salaries/pupil expenditures as much as it is tied to things like geographic density, and the education level of parents.

[needing more]

This is some good info. Thanks for sharing. I am a parent thinking of moving to NW Ar within the next yr so this info is important to know.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

After looking over the link, it doesn't seem that school performance is tied so much to teacher salaries/pupil expenditures as much as it is tied to things like geographic density, and the education level of parents.

I agree, the attitude and education of the parents will determine a lot more than the pay of the teachers or the cost per child.

Nita

[Dr. Foosball]

Alma C
Greenwood A
Van Buren B
Fort Smith B

So, it looks like Alma scored the worst among the non-speed trap cities in the River Valley. That was a shock for me as many people say they have a great district.