What Makes a High School Great?

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With Dan Brillman, Michal Lumsden, Le Datta Grimes and Dave Kotok

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I have asked this question for several years but have not received an answer. How do you justify a ranking system that can be so easily manipulated by the allocation of funds for test taking. With no regard for quality education I could allocate $75,000 to allow every student in our 1,000 pupil high school to take at least one test. That would be 1,000 divided by roughly 250 for a 4.0 ranking. Hypothetically every score could be a 1 (out of 5 on AP test) and we would race to the front of the class for this single metric. Yet if the same school took 400 tests and all were scored at a 3 or higher and students paid for their own test so I could keep all of the teachers that would be a 1.6 ranking. I will take the 1.6 and live with the lower ranking. I believe Jay Matthews has sold you a bill of goods that defies common sense and it is indefensible that you keep publishing these rankings that are so meaningless. Jim O'Neill Superintendent of Schools, Chatham, NJ 07928. joneill@chatham-nj.org

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Posted By: lisa-smith @ 07/31/2008 11:08:12 PM

I live in Georgia and some of the schools that are on this list are also on the Federal No Child Left Behind Needs Improvement List and have been for years. Therefore, my question is, who are these schools great for?
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Posted By: joneill @ 05/21/2008 3:03:33 PM

I have asked this question for several years but have not received an answer. How do you justify a ranking system that can be so easily manipulated by the allocation of funds for test taking. With no regard for quality education I could allocate $75,000 to allow every student in our 1,000 pupil high school to take at least one test. That would be 1,000 divided by roughly 250 for a 4.0 ranking. Hypothetically every score could be a 1 (out of 5 on AP test) and we would race to the front of the class for this single metric. Yet if the same school took 400 tests and all were scored at a 3 or higher and students paid for their own test so I could keep all of the teachers that would be a 1.6 ranking. I will take the 1.6 and live with the lower ranking. I believe Jay Matthews has sold you a bill of goods that defies common sense and it is indefensible that you keep publishing these rankings that are so meaningless. Jim O'Neill Superintendent of Schools, Chatham, NJ 07928. joneill@chatham-nj.org
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Posted By: joneill @ 05/21/2008 2:55:58 PM

I have aske this question