"Best Schools" in Denver area

[Moving2CO]

Originally Posted by MorningGlory

Just my two cents worth: if you look at the high rated schools on greatschools.net, you can click on a link that says Student stats and it will break down the student population. It becomes obvious quickly (especially if used in cinjunction with citydata) where the 9 and 10 schools will be. That said, my hub and I both grew up in Denver area. For fun, he looked up his elementary, jr high, and senior high schools, and added up the total score. He got 7 total points. I however scored 26 points (my parents were better off apparently). But he is the big bread winner, and the fact that he went to some of the worst schools in Denver didnt stop him, like was mentioned there are good teachers in bad schools, and vice versa. His mother was absolutely devoted and they read together every day. The more I have researched these "great schools" the more convinced I have become that its the parents that matter, and the desire to learn they instill in their children. Not to mention I loathed every one of those 9 schools I attended.

Can anyone tell me about East HS in Denver? I couldn't find much info on the Forum.

Thanks

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by Moving2CO

Can anyone tell me about East HS in Denver? I couldn't find much info on the Forum.

Thanks

It's basically a good school if you know how to approach the system; parents and students need to develop a good relationship with the student counselor.
This will enable you to learn about (and register for) all the best classes.
I have written a fair bit about East High here in the Denver forum.
Try another search, or DM me. (I'll be gone all day though.)

[bashoor]

hi
im new member in this forum and i need your help in finding best english school in denver because i want to study in the university of denver this summer

thanks alot

[bashoor]

Originally Posted by bashoor

hi
im new member in this forum and i need your help in finding best english school in denver because i want to study in the university of denver this summer

thanks alot

[the3Ds]

Well, I'm sure that this will be no surprise to anyone who has seen my previous posts, but here's where I will disagree with some of the posts that don't believe school districts and tests scores indicate much.

1. No parent worth their title should believe that they can just "drop off" their kids and not be involved with their education no matter what school district they're in.

2. A school district that performs well has a higher expectation for learning than one who is at the bottom. Whether it's socioeconomic or the number of ESL students, the reality is that every teacher on the 1st day of school has the same finish line that other teachers in their district have. That goal is decided on in advance by the school district, not the individual teachers. Whether they reach their goals is up to a number of factors. If your kid is going to a poorly performing school, they are going to have to work twice as hard to learn in that environment than if they were in a school that constantly reaches their finish lines year after year.

3. No school is going to churn out 100% successful kids. Plenty of kids struggle with school and go on to lead very productive fulfilling lives.

4. The best equation for your child to find success is for you to move to a good school district, get involved with their teachers and school staff, volunteer (even if it's only periodically) in your kid's class so that you can see for yourself what they are doing, and understand that when your kid is in school, YOU are in school too. If they have homework, YOU have homework.

5. Most good school districts have some things in common: They have lower crime rates, they have higher graduation rates, they have involved parents. The larger question is why WOULDN'T you want that kind of learning environment for your kid? Square footage on a large house and stainless steel appliances in exchange for a house in a so-so school district will never make up for your kid graduating at the top of their class only to find out they don't know anything when they go to college because their school district set low standards. You've got to lay the foundation for their success and then participate in their lives so that they can find it.

6. School districts DO matter and will make a difference in your child's life if you play a direct part in their education too. It's why every single test score, academic markers, end-of-year grading system paper has your school district's name on it. It's not something I realized until I got very involved in my daughter's school and attended every PTO meeting as well as the district meetings. I saw for myself on my daughter's teacher's desk the paperwork and lesson plans that had a stamp of approval from the school district on it and realized that she isn't "flying by the seat of her pants." She has a very specific road to travel...her weeks and months are planned out so that at the end of the year, the kids in her class have met the goals set by the district.

7. A good school district will EXPECT your child to do well. While we all hope that our kids will turn out to be geniuses, it's more realistic to expect them to be "average" and the definition of "average" varies by district. I want my kid to go to a school where the kids who drop out are considered the "losers" and not 1/2 of their class. I want my kid to go to a school that sets standards high enough so that when the state moves its requirements around, it doesn't make a bit of difference since the district's standards are so much higher. As for socioeconomic standards...well, frankly, that's not my issue to fix. It's my responsibility to get my kid the best education I can give them in a school that will prepare her for, and expect her to go to college. A basic K-12 education builds on itself and very few people have a chance to go back and get a better one.

I put a lot of faith in teachers and recognize that they can have all of their lesson plans in place only to find out that 1/2 of their class doesn't speak English or have parents who don't really care if they come to school. A good school district has less of those kinds of issues and as a parent of kids in school, I will give up square footage and extras if that means affording a place to live in a good school district. I already know that I am going to be involved in their education. Check. Now, the homework that we are doing and the books we are reading every night are ones that I want to know are above what the other districts are doing and I take comfort in knowing that they are (I've seen the homework of the 1st graders of other school districts and some of that stuff is stuff that my daughter did in Kindergarten).

[Katarina Witt]

There is a direct correlation between school test scores and parental socio-economic status. A school's test scores mean nothing to any individual student. There is no guarantee that a student at a high scoring school will him/herself score high.

No school district has low expectations for kids.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by Katiana

There is a direct correlation between school test scores and parental socio-economic status. A school's test scores mean nothing to any individual student. There is no guarantee that a student at a high scoring school will him/herself score high.

No school district has low expectations for kids.

I'm still not sure what your point is. You seem stuck on the socioeconomic realities of schools and I am in no way disagreeing with you. There usually IS a difference between rich caucasian districts and poor minority districts. It's been this way for a very long time. As a parent of a child just starting out in school, it's was also a very good way to determine where we were going to live. I've already made a commitment to my child's education and will actively participate in it. The next step was to find an area where her fellow classmates are expected to do well. It's not my job to fix the socioeconomic realities of large minority areas. It is my job to get my kid the best education I can get for her and if that means moving to a rich area (when we're not rich) so that there is peer pressure to stay in school, get good grades and go to college, I am going to do that.

There are some indisputable (but unfortunate) facts...schools with high numbers of lower-income minority students usually don't perform well. There are numerous factors that come into play...parents not really caring if they go to school or do their homework, rampant violence, high numbers of girls getting pregnant, lots of students who don't speak English, etc. I understand that and I wish that this wasn't the case since these are the children who need a good education the most. Because it IS the case, this is a good indicator that I will put my kid as far away from that situation as I can. My kids are not minorities but many of their friends are and from talking to their parents, they have made a conscious effort to remove their children from an environment like that and put them in an area where they might be the minority, but they will get a good education. To pretend that there aren't differences between kids is silly and to act like your kid can be dropped off at a school where learning is not the priority...keeping them from killing each other IS, is naive and irresponsible. There are some people who cannot get out of their situation and have to knowingly put their kids into a school that may or may not educate them well. I'm not in that situation but since I am not rich and my kids aren't set to get a trust fund, their education is important. I am laying the foundation for them to get a good one...high ranking school district, check; good school, check; parent involvement, check.

And I disagree with you about "low expectations." There ARE school districts that will give your kid a diploma knowing that they can't spell or read. There ARE kids every year who graduate from high school and haven't learned a thing. There ARE schools where throwing a football or putting a ball through a hoop means that the other teachers will push a kid through a class that they clearly don't understand. If you haven't met those kinds of people...the kind who have a diploma but can't write a coherent note, the kind who graduated from high school but can't form a coherent sentence, then I suppose you are fortunate. I've met some of those people (some are parents of kids at my daughter's school) and know they're out there. Someone gave them a diploma. Their school set such low expectations for them that they completed their bottom-of-the-barrel requirements only to find out that their kid who's in 1st grade already reads and writes better than they do. There are schools out there who give kids credit for just showing up and not trying to kill another kid or teacher.

If you need further proof that schools are doing the "bare minimum" in order to continue to get money from the government, he's a link to an article published by Education Trust:

http://www.edtrust.org/dc/press-room/press-release/%E2%80%9Ccounting-on-graduation%E2%80%9D-most-states-are-setting-low-expectations-for-th (broken link)

Just one quote from the article: A number of states have set the bar so low that they are basically telling parents, ‘We’ll meet our goals when your grandchildren’s grandchildren are ready to graduate,’” said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by the3Ds

I'm still not sure what your point is. You seem stuck on the socioeconomic realities of schools and I am in no way disagreeing with you. There usually IS a difference between rich caucasian districts and poor minority districts. It's been this way for a very long time. As a parent of a child just starting out in school, it's was also a very good way to determine where we were going to live.

In other words, you wanted to live in a high SES area. Fine. Not everyone has that option. There's a saying about school choice that the wealthy have always had choice.

I've already made a commitment to my child's education and will actively participate in it.

Fine. I mean that sincerely. I made such a committment, too.

The next step was to find an area where her fellow classmates are expected to do well.

If you're talking about the parents, you may have some point. If you're talking about the schools, you're way off base. No school has low expectations for its kids.

It's not my job to fix the socioeconomic realities of large minority areas. It is my job to get my kid the best education I can get for her and if that means moving to a rich area (when we're not rich) so that there is peer pressure to stay in school, get good grades and go to college, I am going to do that.

You'd be surprised what goes on in some of these "yuppie" high schools. They don't all toe the line like that. It's not just the "rich" areas where there is peer pressure to do those things, either. I don't want to get into a "class warfare" issue here, but middle-class schools (using a very broad definition of the words) have students with those same expectations.

There are some indisputable (but unfortunate) facts...schools with high numbers of lower-income minority students usually don't perform well.

How the school performs has absolutely nothing to do with how an individual child performs.

There are numerous factors that come into play...parents not really caring if they go to school or do their homework, rampant violence, high numbers of girls getting pregnant, lots of students who don't speak English, etc. I understand that and I wish that this wasn't the case since these are the children who need a good education the most. Because it IS the case, this is a good indicator that I will put my kid as far away from that situation as I can.

Wow, just wow! And again, if you think the above doesn't happen at Cherry Creek High School, you are in for a surprise when your kid gets there.

My kids are not minorities but many of their friends are and from talking to their parents, they have made a conscious effort to remove their children from an environment like that and put them in an area where they might be the minority, but they will get a good education. To pretend that there aren't differences between kids is silly and to act like your kid can be dropped off at a school where learning is not the priority...keeping them from killing each other IS, is naive and irresponsible.

Do watch who you call silly, irresponsible, and naive.. Suppose you name some schools here in Colorado where "learning is not the priority. . . keeping them from killing is other IS."

There are some people who cannot get out of their situation and have to knowingly put their kids into a school that may or may not educate them well. I'm not in that situation but since I am not rich and my kids aren't set to get a trust fund, their education is important. I am laying the foundation for them to get a good one...high ranking school district, check; good school, check; parent involvement, check.

And I disagree with you about "low expectations." There ARE school districts that will give your kid a diploma knowing that they can't spell or read. There ARE kids every year who graduate from high school and haven't learned a thing. There ARE schools where throwing a football or putting a ball through a hoop means that the other teachers will push a kid through a class that they clearly don't understand. If you haven't met those kinds of people...the kind who have a diploma but can't write a coherent note, the kind who graduated from high school but can't form a coherent sentence, then I suppose you are fortunate.

I repeat, please list these schools. CCHS has a huge sports program and they're at the top in almost every sport they have. Do you cling to the image of the dumb quaterback (or lineman) of the past? I know plenty of people who can't write a coherent sentence. I never aksed them where they went to high school. Some of them have graduate degrees.

I've met some of those people (some are parents of kids at my daughter's school) and know they're out there.

Whoa, there! I thought the parents in your district all had super high expectations, were super-involved (helicopter parents), etc.

Someone gave them a diploma. Their school set such low expectations for them that they completed their bottom-of-the-barrel requirements only to find out that their kid who's in 1st grade already reads and writes better than they do. There are schools out there who give kids credit for just showing up and not trying to kill another kid or teacher.

Please list.

[/quote] If you need further proof that schools are doing the "bare minimum" in order to continue to get money from the government, he's a link to an article published by Education Trust:

“COUNTING ON GRADUATION”: MOST STATES ARE SETTING LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES | Closing the achievement gap (http://www.edtrust.org/dc/press-room/press-release/%E2%80%9Ccounting-on-graduation%E2%80%9D-most-states-are-setting-low-expectations-for-th - broken link)

Just one quote from the article: A number of states have set the bar so low that they are basically telling parents, ‘We’ll meet our goals when your grandchildren’s grandchildren are ready to graduate,’” said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust.[/quote]

I have studied education issues in Colorado for at least 20 years. I'm not familiar with this group. There are a lot of groups I'm not familiar with, of course, mostly of the "Back to Basics", "America has the worst educational system in the world", etc crowd.

[Moonwalkr]

As with any correlations, there are anomalies that some people don't seem to grasp. I can tell you that some kids no matter the amount of nurturing and involvement you throw at them will simply reach a certain point of threshold that they cannot exceed. Some kids you don't tend to ever and they will end up being valedictorians. Both of these instances I learned from my own personal experience. Just as for a young sapling, the best you can do is provide the best growing environment and hope for the best, however there will always be bad seeds in the batch. Saying children will excel because of parental involvement is a slap to the face for those parents who pour their efforts and energy into inherently troubled or special-needs kids who end up getting calls from the principal or getting chewed out by other adults for not raising their kids right.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Moonwalkr

As with any correlations, there are anomalies that some people don't seem to grasp. I can tell you that some kids no matter the amount of nurturing and involvement you throw at them will simply reach a certain point of threshold that they cannot exceed. Some kids you don't tend to ever and they will end up being valedictorians. Both of these instances I learned from my own personal experience. Just as for a young sapling, the best you can do is provide the best growing environment and hope for the best, however there will always be bad seeds in the batch. Saying children will excel because of parental involvement is a slap to the face for those parents who pour their efforts and energy into inherently troubled or special-needs kids who end up getting calls from the principal or getting chewed out by other adults for not raising their kids right.

I agree with the above.

I will add something else. Some kids in these high scoring schools would do well no matter what school they're in and no matter who is teaching. "High test scores" do not necessarily mean great teachers.