5 High Schools in Bellevue in Top 100 of Newsweek's 'Best' List (Seattle: magnet schools, income)

[allforcats]

Just published today: Newsweek's 2009 list of America's top 1,500 public high schools.

The high schools in WA listed in the top 100 are all in Bellevue:
International School, Interlake, Newport, Sammamish, and Bellevue.
Links near top of article explain Newsweek's ranking methodology.

America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

[Ira500]

Let me be the first here to question their methodology.
They determine a high school to be a "top" high school by dividing the total number of students taking advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge tests by the total number of graduating seniors.
C'mon! How does that imply in any way that it's a good school? What it does imply is that parents who have kids who excel academically seek out these schools. How does it show that these schools make kids smart, or teach them anything other than how to take tests?
Also, the vast majority of high school students are not advanced placement types.
Which is the better school: The one who takes a middle school student who gets A's and keeps him getting A's in high school, or a high school that takes a middle school student who gets D's and transforms him or her into a B student?
The latter school wouldn't make Newsweek's list.
This is not meant in any way to disparage any of the schools on the list. I'm sure they're fine schools, and I've heard great things about them. But it suggests to me that these schools take already motivated kids and keep them motivated, which is no small feat.
But what about those schools that produce fine, smart citizens who aren't advanced placement or International Baccalaureate types? Shouldn't those schools be recognized for the miracles that occur there?

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Let me be the first here to question their methodology.
They determine a high school to be a "top" high school by dividing the total number of students taking advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge tests by the total number of graduating seniors.
C'mon! How does that imply in any way that it's a good school? What it does imply is that parents who have kids who excel academically seek out these schools. How does it show that these schools make kids smart, or teach them anything other than how to take tests?
Also, the vast majority of high school students are not advanced placement types.
Which is the better school: The one who takes a middle school student who gets A's and keeps him getting A's in high school, or a high school that takes a middle school student who gets D's and transforms him or her into a B student?
The latter school wouldn't make Newsweek's list.
This is not meant in any way to disparage any of the schools on the list. I'm sure they're fine schools, and I've heard great things about them. But it suggests to me that these schools take already motivated kids and keep them motivated, which is no small feat.
But what about those schools that produce fine, smart citizens who aren't advanced placement or International Baccalaureate types? Shouldn't those schools be recognized for the miracles that occur there?

Amen! I am willing to bet that if they took a look at socioeconomic data, most of these high schools would be primarily comprised of upper middle class to upper class students. And besides I cannot believe someone up there is trumpeting a list where the top two spots are occupied by Texas high schools (with a third also in the top 10).

[toughguy]

The 2 Dallas schools at the top of the list are magnet schools...They shouldn't even be included on the list, because they are essentially publicly-funded private schools. They comb through the entire DISD (an enormous school district) and only allow the cream of the crop, elite students to attend. Contrast that with schools in the Bellevue school district, which don't have admittance requirements and can only enroll students within their own attendance zones. Quasi-private prep schools have no business being evaluated the same way as a traditional public school.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by toughguy

The 2 Dallas schools at the top of the list are magnet schools...They shouldn't even be included on the list, because they are essentially publicly-funded private schools. They comb through the entire DISD (an enormous school district) and only allow the cream of the crop, elite students to attend. Contrast that with schools in the Bellevue school district, which don't have admittance requirements and can only enroll students within their own attendance zones. Quasi-private prep schools have no business being evaluated the same way as a traditional public school.

Oh puleeze, these lists are bogus anyway, that's the whole point of my post. You could say that Bellevue schools are equally elite as they don't draw from lower income areas. You get the cream of the crop elite that way too. At least the schools in Dallas are open to lower income students.

[toughguy]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

Oh puleeze, these lists are bogus anyway, that's the whole point of my post. You could say that Bellevue schools are equally elite as they don't draw from lower income areas. You get the cream of the crop elite that way too. At least the schools in Dallas are open to lower income students.

That still doesn't address the fact that students enrolling at TAG are screened based on their test scores and academic prowess, regardless of their socio-economic background. Let's skim the top 1% of students from the Seattle public school district and place them into a school with the most experienced teachers and the smallest class sizes, and we'll see how it stacks up against Talented and Gifted.

[MaikeerinWA]

Why should anyone care whether Texas schools are on the list?

Originally Posted by Jennibc

Amen! I am willing to bet that if they took a look at socioeconomic data, most of these high schools would be primarily comprised of upper middle class to upper class students. And besides I cannot believe someone up there is trumpeting a list where the top two spots are occupied by Texas high schools (with a third also in the top 10).

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by toughguy

That still doesn't address the fact that students enrolling at TAG are screened based on their test scores and academic prowess, regardless of their socio-economic background. Let's skim the top 1% of students from the Seattle public school district and place them into a school with the most experienced teachers and the smallest class sizes, and we'll see how it stacks up against Talented and Gifted.

You already do it, it's called Lowell Elementary, my son went there. Then you can continue the APP in Washington Middle school and then Garfield HS. Why do you think Garfield often ranks high for Seattle high schools?

Again, the point of my post is that any of these lists are totally bogus for the reasons that you and I are outlining here.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by MichaelinWA

Why should anyone care whether Texas schools are on the list?

It was a joke. Lots of swipes are taken on the Seattle board at the state of TX. (For instance see #8 of the following thread //www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...attle-you.html) There an awful lot of posters who in their west coast cloak of smugness believe all occupying the Lone Star state are a bunch of hayseeds. Never mind that most of them have ever even visited.

[toughguy]

My swipe was a tongue in cheek response to one of our frequent posters that moved to Texas (Houston I believe), always taking passive-aggressive little pot shots at Seattle.