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It's all about socio-economic status of the STUDENT and not about the school. This is why greatschools rankings really just measure income and usually a lack of diversity more than anything else. If you look at test scores for the non-low income elementary school students in my urban neighborhood, they actually outperform the top suburbs in several grades. Now look at the school as a whole, including the low income half of the school, and it looks below average.
Pennsylvania doesn't track non-low income standardized testing scores, but it does track scores by race. I've found basically the same thing. Looking at only white students in the public school system (in most schools there are almost no Latino or Asian kids), the magnet schools and the neighborhood schools in the wealthiest part of town score as well or better than the top suburban school districts. In the working/lower-middle class white neighborhood schools, scores aren't as high, but they're similar to many first-ring suburbs in the region, and class differences between the "gentrified" and "non-gentrified" population are almost certainly the reason.
Not to say this isn't incredibly depressing for the nation as a whole. Still, I think it would be healthier as a society to shift gears away from thinking we can change educational outcomes for everyone through the education system, to one which ensured that even those who don't excel in school can get a decent-paying job when they graduate.
But if you're the typical young "urbanist" - someone an upper-middle class white who often has a graduate degree - there's statistically speaking very little chance your kids will do substantively worse than you as long as you have them with someone of a similar background. Urban or suburban, public or private, magnet or neighborhood, it just doesn't matter. Which makes instinctive sense, when you think about how many Baby Boomers went to overcrowded schools in cities or first-ring suburbs, and yet went on to excel in life regardless.
It's all about socio-economic status of the STUDENT and not about the school. This is why greatschools rankings really just measure income and usually a lack of diversity more than anything else. If you look at test scores for the non-low income elementary school students in my urban neighborhood, they actually outperform the top suburbs in several grades. Now look at the school as a whole, including the low income half of the school, and it looks below average.
Actually, all GreatSchools does is give a number based on test scores in relation to the state overall result for that test. 5 is actually dead average. So, if a school is a 5, it just means that it is at the state average for test scores. It doesn't factor in graduation rates or requirements, among other factors. I've seen schools with a 4 for test scores, but have a 4 year grad rate in the low 90's for a percentage.
Actually, all GreatSchools does is give a number based on test scores in relation to the state overall result for that test. 5 is actually dead average. So, if a school is a 5, it just means that it is at the state average for test scores. It doesn't factor in graduation rates or requirements, among other factors. I've seen schools with a 4 for test scores, but have a 4 year grad rate in the low 90's for a percentage.
Compare these MCAS scores to the greatschools ratings and you will see what I mean. Once you control for income, the schools with a 5 can get higher MCAS than schools with a 9 or 10.
Compare these MCAS scores to the greatschools ratings and you will see what I mean. Once you control for income, the schools with a 5 can get higher MCAS than schools with a 9 or 10.
You can juggle statistics any way you want. I don't put a lot of stock in greatschools myself, but there is pretty much a straight line correlation with SES and test scores. I'm proud to say that MY high school is an outlier, and scores "better than expected". Big Beaver Falls Area School District - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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