What makes North Fulton and Cobb Schools so much better than all the rest? (Atlanta: how much, homes)

[equinox63]

Just curious about what specific factors makes schools in the northern suburbs so much better than schools in the rest of Metro Atlanta? Is there something that a student would miss out on if they went to an intown private school instead? And lastly, what are some "bad" intown private schools. Do they exist? Conversely, are there any really, really great intown public schools in your opinions? What is your criteria for judging/rating them?

[aries4118]

I would not say they are "better" necessarily, but scores (and other factors) are higher due to:

Relative socio-economic wealth.





*The same can be said for Fayette, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cherokee, City of Decatur, etc.

[Pinkmani]

MONEY!

For instance, I went to a Cobb HS and it was magnet in math and science. Right behind the school is a subdivision with million-dollar homes and a golf club another subdivision is a country club.

[johnscd71]

My experience is that many consider a school "bad" when they think their children would be going to school with what they consider to be "undesirable," poor, transient children (or too many of those children) or children of a race/ethnicity they are not familiar with. Many would never articulate or admit that. When I talk to people who talk about what they consider "good" schools, they've never met the principal and they can't tell you all of the teachers that will be teaching their children (and having a great, effective teacher is the main factor that will determine if your child will be a contender for Harvard or not). They have spent more time looking for homes in their target area, and walking in and out of those, than in sitting down with the potential teachers of their children and really understanding the climate and environment of their target school.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now...

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Pinkmani

MONEY!

For instance, I went to a Cobb HS and it was magnet in math and science. Right behind the school is a subdivision with million-dollar homes and a golf club another subdivision is a country club.

Kennesaw Mountain High School, ba-by! (I assume. )

[johnscd71]

As far as criteria, I want to know what teachers will be teaching my child. I would meet them and ask them about their teaching philosophy and what they do to challenge students. I would ask to see lesson plans and see what they plan to cover per unit/per semester. I would want to know how they meet the learning needs of different types of students. Then, I might try to meet teachers at the other schools I am considering and compare notes. I would create a notebook of pros/cons, etc. Also, soon there may be data available (if it's not already) on student "growth" at the school level, which can provide some data about how much growth students experience at a particular school. You can get raw "achievement" data (what did they score on the CRCT), but I would also look at that in conjunction with growth. For example, you can have an excellent student, but you still want them not just to be breezing through making easy "A's" - you want them to continuing growing academically based on their needs. I would have conversations with teachers and principals about this kind of stuff. Often, you can veto a teacher or school pretty quickly based on how staff answer these questions.

Even non-educators can visit classrooms (and I would do that) and see how a teacher is teaching and get some sense about the environment. Are the children engaged? Is the teacher asking easy questions (as in too easy)? Do the kids look confused? Is the teacher leaving obvious confusion unaddressed? Are they doing a lot of different things to reach every student (are they only lecturing, or are they doing activities, showing videos, breaking off into groups, etc.)? What opportunities does the school have for gifted students? For struggling students?

[gerrythesnake]

$$$$$$$

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by johnscd71

My experience is that many consider a school "bad" when they think their children would be going to school with what they consider to be "undesirable," poor, transient children (or too many of those children) or children of a race/ethnicity they are not familiar with. Many would never articulate or admit that. When I talk to people who talk about what they consider "good" schools, they've never met the principal and they can't tell you all of the teachers that will be teaching their children (and having a great, effective teacher is the main factor that will determine if your child will be a contender for Harvard or not). They have spent more time looking for homes in their target area, and walking in and out of those, than in sitting down with the potential teachers of their children and really understanding the climate and environment of their target school.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now...

The rest of your post is spot-on, but the bolded part is not true.

[equinox63]

Thanks for the swift and thorough replies. Now how do the intown private schools stack up? Is it worth the investment?

[Newsboy]

No disrespect to the OP, but I find it rather shocking that anybody would seriously have to ask this question.

The relation between socioeconomic status and educational achievement is well documented and universally understood.