Transferring to Deer Park, IL. Where to live/IB schools (Chicago: kindergarten, students)

[chet everett]

No disagreement with putting Stevenson's numbers in the 'top tier', but some of the other schools are not as highly regarded.

Objective numbers:

Top 100 high schools in Illinois :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

Granted I am not the biggest supporter of a "single dimension" type rankings, but with GB North it is pretty clear that it more than 10 points than some other schools on your list, and that is BIG gap in average performance...


Driving wise the thought of heading down 53 is no picnic lately either.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by chet everett

No disagreement with putting Stevenson's numbers in the 'top tier', but some of the other schools are not as highly regarded.

Objective numbers:

Top 100 high schools in Illinois :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

Granted I am not the biggest supporter of a "single dimension" type rankings, but with GB North it is pretty clear that it more than 10 points than some other schools on your list, and that is BIG gap in average performance...


Driving wise the thought of heading down 53 is no picnic lately either.

What happened to using US News & World report as your guideline? Did their parameters change? And commuting from Arlington Heights/Mt. Prospect/Palatine to Deer Park is closer and easier than Northbrook or Glenview. Rte 53 would not be used. Reverse commute using Rte 12/Rand Rd. or Rte 14 to Quentin or Hicks Rd. If one is going to spend the extra $ on Northbrook, I would buy in Deer Park, Buffalo Grove, Long Grove or Kildeer and send my kids to Stevenson. Now if OP worked in Glenview or Skokie, then Northbrook would get the recommendation because of proximity to work.
Nothing against Glenbrook, but the extra time/distance is not worth the marginal difference in schools. I must also confide, I personally feel more comfortable in AH/Mt P/Prospect Hts than Northbrook. I experienced more "over the top" parents there (via kids figure skating when younger) than I do around here. Really, does a 5 year old need brand new skates when gently used ones from the rinks pro-shop are available? Does the kid need a fashion label skating outfit? The fuss over looks vs. learning to skate were sad and laughable. Hope it doesn't lead into overly spoiled kids with sense of entitlement.

[chet everett]

I still think US News is a better measure, both because the groupings of "gold / silver / bronze" are more general and less subject to "we have .001 higher test scores" and that the criteria the evaluation firm uses is geared to incorporating info about the multiple dimensions of school success. I rely on the SunTimes site for a simple ranking as I know many "shoppers" do that as well.

As to the other concerns I tend agree with cubsoxfan that if you can afford something in Stevenson the upsides are worth considering.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I still think US News is a better measure, both because the groupings of "gold / silver / bronze" are more general and less subject to "we have .001 higher test scores" and that the criteria the evaluation firm uses is geared to incorporating info about the multiple dimensions of school success. I rely on the SunTimes site for a simple ranking as I know many "shoppers" do that as well.

As to the other concerns I tend agree with cubsoxfan that if you can afford something in Stevenson the upsides are worth considering.

I looked at Wheeling HS. In 2009 it was a silver? award winner. This year doesn't make the list. Ranked 192 on Sun Times list. So what happened? Was US News methodology flawed? Did it change? Did Wheeling HS get dramatically worse in 1 year?
IL: Best High Schools - USNews.com
What about the other schools that made '09's list and not '10's? Rolling Meadows and Buffalo Grove?
What do we make of these lists and ascertain that our kids are going to a diamond in the rough school and not a bad school? (Wheeling, Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove)

[chet everett]

I think that when schools "drop off" the list it signals a shift in the relative performance of the students at the school that most often is caused by a shift in the success rate of students taking AP tests. The fact is that success on AP tests requires a committed faculty and students that are adequately prepared. When either "goes missing" the result can fall dramatically.

One would think that would encourage schools to develop a deeper "bench" both of faculty that can step in when the teachers handling AP retire / take leave AS WELL AS keeping the "pipeline" of students full so that there the success is a on-going.

Not sure if those factors are present in more than a handful of schools...

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I think that when schools "drop off" the list it signals a shift in the relative performance of the students at the school that most often is caused by a shift in the success rate of students taking AP tests. The fact is that success on AP tests requires a committed faculty and students that are adequately prepared. When either "goes missing" the result can fall dramatically.

One would think that would encourage schools to develop a deeper "bench" both of faculty that can step in when the teachers handling AP retire / take leave AS WELL AS keeping the "pipeline" of students full so that there the success is a on-going.

Not sure if those factors are present in more than a handful of schools...

Any suggestions on how to analyze the school to make sure its right for your child(ren)? I focused on courses offered and looked at ACT scores felt good when WHeeling was on US NEWS list, but now

[chet everett]

It is a bit tricky when a school drops down / off a recommended list. The economic situation of the town is certainly a factor to consider. In some areas the level of unemployment / deterioration / decline is visible, in others it might be a blip that is foretelling of future problems, in yet others it might be a minor / temporary thing.

The objective measure of the TRENDS in both overall ACT performance and performance of subgroups should be more reliable then a one - two year blip. I like the fact that the site run by Northern Illinois University for the Illinois Interactive Report Cards makes the trends one click away. I also like the objective measure of the "property tax wealth per student" -- when that is far below other districts it is a very bad sign that they will need high tax rates and/or lots of state aid, in areas where they have the potential for lots of property tax wealth they have the luxury of choosing a very expensive educational environment and the flexibility to have lower tax rates.

Subjective measures and secondary objective measure are also very useful -- if the average home selling price is changing at a faster rate than surrounding / similar towns that can tell you that more affluent families are moving in or out, and there is high correlation between affluence and performance. Similarly the relative measures of low income students, student mobility and language background will give indications if an area is heading toward a more challenging academic environment or one of greater achievement.

History plays a big role too, schools generally do not rocket up or down in performance -- it takes time to establish the leveling against peers that fosters some competition, but you are also looking at the movement of people into / out of the attendance area on a pretty slow pace in most areas.

[nanska]

Hello again,

We have decided on the Barrington area because German and French or Mandarin are offered at both the middle schools. Can anyone speak to the differences between Prairie and Station Middle School ? For instance, teacher/student ratio, teacher qualification, student attitudes, lunchroom atmosphere, etc.?

We will be in the area early next week to look at housing and will tour both schools, and while you can get a lot of info from walking through schools with an administrator, it is not exactly what our son will be experiencing on a daily basis.

Our son is very excited about attending a "real American school" and we want to make this move as smooth as possible for him.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- Nanska

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by nanska

Hello again,

We have decided on the Barrington area because German and French or Mandarin are offered at both the middle schools. Can anyone speak to the differences between Prairie and Station Middle School ? For instance, teacher/student ratio, teacher qualification, student attitudes, lunchroom atmosphere, etc.?

We will be in the area early next week to look at housing and will tour both schools, and while you can get a lot of info from walking through schools with an administrator, it is not exactly what our son will be experiencing on a daily basis.

Our son is very excited about attending a "real American school" and we want to make this move as smooth as possible for him.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- Nanska

My daughters went thru Station. my younger son Prairie.
Schools are too close to call with similarities in ratio and scholastics so no worries there.
You neednt choose a house dependent on which Middle school.
All my kids had a positive experience, nice friends,no bully hassle,drug/gang problams, lunch rooms well supervised so never an issue there. Teachers always available to parents and/or the kids.
Prairie was newer when my son attented (hes a freshman now) but I think Station has been remodeled since then. He liked that Prairie used Ron Beese Park for alot of gym activities and thourgjhly loved the ski club with weekly trips to Wisconsin ski hills.
I have not heard one school is better then the other and my son had friends in both. I dont like being so general, but overall nice group of kids.It was a smooth transition to High School.

[nanska]

Thank you Nanannie for the prompt response and answering all my queries. Your response is very helpful and appreciated.

- Nanska