Which of the two districts....

[golfgal]

Yes, you are going to find individual examples of kids that do thrive in charter schools however, using your example of the Avalon High school from the State of MN website showing proficiency levels at various grades only 22% of their juniors meet or exceed state minimum levels for math proficiency and 75% meet state minimums for reading, that is really sad. Considering this school is made up of 143 students, and fewer then 22% of them are classified as special needs this doesn't speak well for their programming.

[brikag]

Let's break this discussion and let me ask how is the hopkins school district?

[Minnehahapolitan]

Hopkins has a great school district, it includes parts of Mtka, Eden Prairie, et al. Besides Hopkins, the rest of the area is suburban feeling. Hopkins is an industrial streetcar suburb. Not quaint like Stillwater or Excelsior, but a few shops on Main Street, There is an Arts Center, etc. Most actual shopping is done at places like Target, Cub. Not nec. prdestrian convenient, but pedestrian walkable. They should have a rail line going downtown eventually. You could also fairly easily open enroll your kids if you want to live in the city if Hopkins has room.

[Whome?]

Originally Posted by golfgal

The St. Anthony area is fairly nice. None of the areas you have listed are areas where you will find good schools. There will be OK schools but the St. Paul/Minneapolis schools are not the best. You might want to look into private schools if you live there. Also, I know a lot of people here tout the charter schools but they do not perform well on state testing and most people I know that have had kids attend charter schools find that once they leave the charter school they aren't very well prepared for the next level. Almost all of them LOVE the schools but find out later that their kids aren't ready for high school like they should be.

St. Anthony and Falcon heights are not part of either the Mpls or St. Paul school districts, so this post is kinda moot.

I don't know about Falcon Heights, but the St. Anthony school district is supposedly very good.

Como Park is a beautiful neighborhood, but the schools are not considered that good. But, like one poster said, a lot of it comes down to the parents.

[Lillietta]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

If you take care of your children, I am sure that they will be fine in Minneapolis public schools. I bet the teachers love being insulted like that.

You are not insulting teachers. My daughter, who is a Mpls school teacher and her teacher friends would not send their kids to a public school in St. Paul or Mpls. The good teachers are finding out they cannot fight the parents on drugs, cannot turn many of those kids around who come from families who are influencing them much more than teachers can. The administration has put pressure on teachers that preclude them from taking time with students who need special help.

Most charter schools are in a mess. Can't keep records straight, disorganized, run by people who don't know how to run a school. Not all, but many.

[Lillietta]

Hopkins is a good school district.

[nick is rulz]

If your child is intelligent they'll realize high school is essentially a joke and slide by with a B- average. Better to get that for free at a public school.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

If your child is intelligent they'll realize high school is essentially a joke and slide by with a B- average. Better to get that for free at a public school.

Hell, I thought that when I was in high school, and I was right. I got into the college I wanted with a very high ACT score, took college somewhat more seriously, and got my degree. But after I got into the university I wanted, my high school grades didn't matter anymore to anyone...

That said, though, I do regret not takingmore advantage of high school. There are several things (particularly a language) that I wish I'd have spent more time with.

My college GPA *did* matter when looking for that first job, though. Many of the companies I talked to wanted a 3.0 GPA or greater. Of course, that was back in 1988 -- the world has changed a lot since then.

[nick is rulz]

Most 2.0 students I know got 3.0+ in college. Tends to be a good rule of thumb to take your studies seriously when it costs money

My girlfriend attended a prestigious high school in the Chicago area. Essentially it was drilled into your skull from Freshmen year on that you need to formulate some kind of life plan. I think its stupid that there is so much pressure to make decisions like that when you're so young. Not only that, but I know a lot of people who went to private high schools that completely lack any life education.


MORAL OF THE STORY:

Stop focusing so much on what school district your children will be attending.