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You know how to copy links, good for you. What do either of those have to do with my statement? I'll answer it for you. Nothing. AGAIN. There ARE some good schools. Those articles do not say anything about individual schools. If you do a little research you can identify good schools and choose to live in that district.
Thank you, NMHacker. Yes, at every level there are several public schools in Albuquerque that consistently receive high rankings from both parents and independent assessments like US News and World Report.
And that article states:
"“New Mexico has the eighth highest percentage of public elementary and secondary school teachers who met licensing/certification requirements at 99.7 percent. Also, the state has few bullying incidents, ranking 9th best for this key metric,” Gonzales said."
And that article states:
"“New Mexico has the eighth highest percentage of public elementary and secondary school teachers who met licensing/certification requirements at 99.7 percent. Also, the state has few bullying incidents, ranking 9th best for this key metric,” Gonzales said."
What is your point?
My point should be obvious: None of the above matters as far as learning goes. What does matter is this: Our public school children are not learning. The teachers know this. The state knows this. The city knows this. The school district knows this. And the federal Department of Education knows this. NM always ranks in the bottom five states in The US for education, and sometimes NM is dead last. I was a tutor, and I'm returning to tutoring this fall. *I* know are not learning.
My dentist interviewed one dozen dental assistants. He asked them all the same question: What is 10% of 100? Eleven of them could not answer the question. The last one he interviewed could answer it -- and he hired her. These women were all NM high school graduates, PLUS they had spent a year in dental assistant schools.
Thank you, NMHacker. Yes, at every level there are several public schools in Albuquerque that consistently receive high rankings from both parents and independent assessments like US News and World Report.
Which ones? Give me the link to US News & World Report.
NM is not paradise. There is nothing to be gained by pretending that it is. There is no shame in admitting our problems. The first step in taking care of a problem is admitting one exists.
I love NM. I love living here. I've said both in many posts and in a number of various ways. It's also a great place to retire. I've said that also. But if I had children in grade school or high school, I wouldn't live here. Unless I home schooled.
Which ones? Give me the link to US News & World Report.
For 2017, US News's Best High Schools rankings awarded its "Gold Medal" recognition to the Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science, "Silver Medal" recognition to La Cueva HS, the Early College Academy, and V Sue Cleveland HS and Rio Rancho High in Rio Rancho, and "Bronze Medal" recognition to Sandia HS, the Public Academy for the Performing Arts, and the College and Career High School.
For 2016, many of the same schools were on the list, but so was Eldorado HS.
For 2015, Cottonwood Classical Prep, the Institute of Math and Science, the South Valley Academy, and Albuquerque HS, La Cueva HS, and Eldorado HS were among the state's top 10 schools in the US News rankings. The first four of these were among US News's top 1000 schools nationally (out of nearly 20,000 schools ranked).
The US News rankings are based entirely on state-required test scores, and Albuquerque (and the state) switched to a new, computer-based testing regimen in 2016. As many teachers would tell you, this transition was poorly implemented and test scores have fallen statewide as a result.
I didn't say there weren't any good schools in NM. I said our public school education is abysmal. And it is. Or we wouldn't be 46th in rank.
But I didn't say anything about the overall quality of education in Albuquerque. That was the point you were trying to make. I said "at every level there are several public schools in Albuquerque that consistently receive high rankings from both parents and independent assessments like US News and World Report." You demanded that I demonstrate it, which I did. If you agree that there are good schools in the Albuquerque area, why did you argue with my point when I made it?
And to answer your first question, I live in Albuquerque, and am myself a product of APS (before going on to a highly-ranked college and graduate school out of state). My daughter starts at APS in the fall, at a good school we are very excited about.
I suppose that in general I am sanguine about school rankings...while they provide some meaningful data, they are also mostly a product of test scores that have a debatable connection to a school's actual learning environment and community. As mentioned, recent testing changes in Albuquerque have resulted in lower scores at many schools as teachers and students adjust to the new testing regime...among other issues, an increasing number of parents (usually middle- to upper-class parents) are choosing to opt their children out of testing due to abundant research that demonstrates it's of questionable utility as a guide to either student abilities or school performance. That's all well and good - my partner, who is an educator, supports the opt-out movement - but schools are penalized and their scores suffer as a result.
What I would say to parents considering APS is that while there are many troubled schools and the district itself has significant issues, there are also quite a few good to excellent schools and committed, excellent teachers. Several excellent charter schools have started in recent years as well. As the rankings I've cited show, this has been demonstrated empirically for whatever those rankings are worth. If you are an engaged parent who takes the time to visit schools, talk to teachers, and talk to other parents about their school experiences, you will find something you are happy with in Albuquerque.
Last edited by Cactus Hibs; 06-01-2017 at 10:44 AM..
What I would say to parents considering APS is that while there are many troubled schools and the district itself has significant issues, there are also quite a few good to excellent schools and committed, excellent teachers. Several excellent charter schools have started in recent years as well. As the rankings I've cited show, this has been demonstrated empirically for whatever those rankings are worth. If you are an engaged parent who takes the time to visit schools, talk to teachers, and talk to other parents about their school experiences, you will find something you are happy with in Albuquerque.
I wouldn't say there are "quite a few". What I do agree with is that, yes, there are good schools here -- a few. However, as I said before, not everyone is admitted to the school of his/her choice just because he/she wants to attend. It's not like you can just pick a good school, sign up, and start the school year at the school of your choice. For instance, if you want to attend a public school outside your boundaries, you need a waiver to attend another public school, and waivers aren't always a snap to obtain. And, as I said before, even if you qualify for a good school, there is a lottery for most (possibly all) charter schools. Secondly, not everyone can afford a private school, and I know for a fact that not all private schools offer financial assistance. I will say this: Academy is a very good school, and, if you pass the entrance tests, it will give you all the financial assistance it can afford to give you so that you can attend. I'm sure it's not the only one in ABQ that does this. I just don't know any others, off the top of my head.
And this is my last post :-): If I had grade school or high school children, I wouldn't live in NM.
However, most important, the schools here are bad. You mentioned you have a daughter. If she is still in school (grade school or high school), you may really want to wait until she is graduated from HS. However, we do have a school here ("Academy") which is private and extremely good. Also, ABQ Institute for Math and Science is one of the top schools in The US (seriously), but admission is by lottery. Still, if I had a minor child, going through school, I wouldn't live here.
The average school in NM rates poorly. The average human being has one testicle.
It's important to consider the individual school and individual circumstances and not lump everything together based on some average.
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