Why Pittsburgh's schools aren't that bad... (Penn Hills, Bethel Park: school district, university, live)

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Suburban students can attend the Pittsburgh magnet schools. The parents have to pay tuition, but it's much more affordable than paying for most private high schools. I have a suburban friend who sent his daughter to CAPA this way.

That's not quite what I had in mind.

Let's say PPS makes a deal with Woodland Hills: A certain percentage of Woodland Hills money is sent to PPS, who in exchange creates a roughly equal number of open slots within the Pittsburgh magnet system open to Woodland Hills students free of charge.

The amount shouldn't exceed 25%, because then the system would be disadvantageous compared to what's offered to PPS students. But it seems like a win-win overall. PPS expands where it does well, and a certain percentage of Woodland Hills students are offered an alternate means of education.

Originally Posted by h_curtis

CAPA is probably the only school that might have interest to anyone in a suburb.

I could see the some PPS schools, if the word got out, being of interest to a broad array of people in Woodland Hills, Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, Steel Valley, West Mifflin, Brentwood, Keystone Oaks, Carlynton, Sto-Rox, etc.

Originally Posted by caroline2

Fox Chapel is, but the Fox Chapel Area School district is not richer than MTL, USC, NA, etc districts. FCASD includes Fox Chapel, O'Hara, Blawnox, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and Indiana Township.

That was my point, although I may have worded it badly. Different district demographics in terms of class/educational background mean slightly lower test scores.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by eschaton

That's not quite what I had in mind.

Let's say PPS makes a deal with Woodland Hills: A certain percentage of Woodland Hills money is sent to PPS, who in exchange creates a roughly equal number of open slots within the Pittsburgh magnet system open to Woodland Hills students free of charge.

The amount shouldn't exceed 25%, because then the system would be disadvantageous compared to what's offered to PPS students. But it seems like a win-win overall. PPS expands where it does well, and a certain percentage of Woodland Hills students are offered an alternate means of education.

Read the article I linked.

[HeavenWood]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

CAPA is probably the only school that might have interest to anyone in a suburb.

This is probably true. But even if there were some impressive magnet ala Philadelphia's Masterman, I would be loathe as a parent to pay additional tuition on top of my already steep property taxes, especially if I already resided within an award-winning district.

CAPA is different because it's a specialty school. I think the trick is creating magnets with special academic niches, such as a science and technology school.

[Katiana]

What PA needs is a statewide open enrollment law.

Colorado Open Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.ehow.com/list_7248386_ohi...rocedures.html
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar...cId=5000644163

And many more.

[heartchya]

In PA can you pay tuition and enroll your child into neighboring districts? My daughter is only 3 but I have been starting to look into schools. I live fairly close to borders for NA, Quaker Valley, and Ambridge. I am technically in the Ambridge District. I have always liked QV and friends I had that went there loved it. We had been considering Economy Elementary or private school. Reading this thread though I started to wonder if it is possible for me to pay tuition and have her to go QV? Does anyone know of anyone who has done something like this? I am going to research more as well but if anyone knows please share.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

CAPA is probably the only school that might have interest to anyone in a suburb.

That depends on the suburb--here in Wilkinsburg, for example, people would be interested in a lot more than just CAPA. I think Obama and SciTech may also emerge as desirable for some suburban kids due to their specialization.

The key, though, would be not having to pay any tuition, meaning the home district would have to work out either a funding transfer or a trade in kind (in some places, for example, one district will offer a certain number of slots in their schools in exchange for a certain number of slots in the schools of the second district, which can make sense when they have different areas of strength).

[Uptown kid]

The City's Northside Urban Pathways (aka N.U.P.) Neighborhood Acedemy and Career Connections are open to the Sto Rocks, Cornell, Woodland Hills, Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, Duquesne-West Mifflin & Steal Valley SD's to my knowledge...

[Herodotus]

The one issue that kills the city schools, and which is difficult to measure, is the effect that disruptive students have on academic performance. I believe disruptive behavior in the schools causes just as many parents to move out of the city, as poor academic performance does.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by heartchya

In PA can you pay tuition and enroll your child into neighboring districts? My daughter is only 3 but I have been starting to look into schools. I live fairly close to borders for NA, Quaker Valley, and Ambridge. I am technically in the Ambridge District. I have always liked QV and friends I had that went there loved it. We had been considering Economy Elementary or private school. Reading this thread though I started to wonder if it is possible for me to pay tuition and have her to go QV? Does anyone know of anyone who has done something like this? I am going to research more as well but if anyone knows please share.

Your tuition to any one of your listed schools would be cost prohibitive to do this. In most cases, it would be less expensive to enroll your child in a private school

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

The one issue that kills the city schools, and which is difficult to measure, is the effect that disruptive students have on academic performance. I believe disruptive behavior in the schools causes just as many parents to move out of the city, as poor academic performance does.

Not only are disruptive students and issue, but drugs and violence as well. Nobody is going to care about their high school education when some dude and his boys are looking to jump him.