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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > February > 05 > Entry
They won’t like this at Stivers
(Dayton Early College Academy’s Elton Griffith teaches a class.)
In today’s paper I wrote about the release of the third annual School Chooser Guide, designed to give parents information about more than 80 schools — public, private and charter — serving Dayton kids. This is a joint effort of the University of Dayton, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the website greatschools.net.
The guide is a great tool for parents but the way some data is presented — or not presented — is going to ruffle some feathers in the education community.
The big change in the guide this year is quality ratings based on state test scores. Problem No. 1 with this addition is that not all schools get them — only the public schools (charters included) take state tests so there are no ratings for private schools. And while the test data for public and charter schools is printed right on the page in the guide, readers are referred to private school websites for more information about their test scores.
Finally, the ratings themselves will upset some folks. For instance, I noticed the Dayton Early College Academy is rated 10 out of 10 while Stivers School for the Arts rates 7 of 10. These are two very good schools that are not that different in quality. The main difference here is in factors like school design and enrollment size. Stivers is much bigger and its kids take state tests earlier in their high school careers.
Overall, the guide can be a very valuable tool for parents, with lots of good information, worksheets and exercises to help parents figure out their own priorities and choose a school that is a good match for them and for their kids. But it is going to offend some sensibilities this year with the ratings added.
If you go to www.greatschools.net/dayton you can see the data yourself.
(Image credit: Jim Noelker, DDN)
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Charter Schools and School Choice, Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By dirk sniggler
February 11, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this
School choice is the problem, not the solution. Perhaps Scott would like to do a comparison/contra st of transportation costs before school choice that includes charters, etc… It’s a total mess and literally MILLIONS of dollars are flushed down the toilet providing a spoiled populace living in a state of infant like fantasy the illusion of choice. Provide good, solid schools in neighborhoods. You don’t get a choice of 30 to 40 schools. There would be ZERO need for a levy were this the case.By Karen
February 10, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this
Okay, Scott, you inspired me to post. I have several problems with the Dayton School Chooser and the Great Schools web site. 1) People I have spoken with are confusing the Great Schools Test Rating and the Parent Ratings that are printed in the book. Printing the Parent Ratings in the book takes them out of context. On the web site they are connected to the actual comments and are obviously not some kind of rating from Great Schools. 2) The parent ratings beg to be manipulated by groups or individuals making multiple posts. What’s to keep me from going online and posting fabulous comments about a school posing as a parent and then as a student and then as an alum? Keep the comments, get rid of the stars. 3)What is the formula for reducing a school’s test scores to a number from 1-10? I could not find such a formula in the book. How objective is this number? Or is this a piece of subjective data posing as objective data? 4) Comparing one school’s test scores to another’s does not provide any valid data about the schools. If the school has not had a significant change in student population from year to year it might be valid to compare a cohort of students in that school from one year to the next. Or it might be valid to send student group A (made up of an identified mix of gender, race, and socio-economic background) to school 1 and send student group B (of the same demographic mix) to school 2 and then compare test scores. (But who wants their child to be a guinea pig?) 5) It is not obvious in the book that the snapshot provided is 1-2 years old and in the volatile school environment in Dayton, that’s a significant detail. (See former ICS Parent’s comments.) 6)A question: did anyone from Great Schools visit the schools that were given Great Schools ratings? Finally, I think the concept of the School Chooser is great. The advice at the beginning is great. But stick to the objective data and stay out of the ratings game — particularly if Great Schools has not spent any time in these schools. If the ratings are based on comparison of test scores from one school to another, the number itself is fundamentally flawed and it could lead parents to schools that are not right for their children.By former ICS parent
February 10, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
I advise users of the guide to exercise caution in relying on its content without verifying it. For example, the principal at Immaculate Conception School claims enrollment of 300+ students. The school has fewer than 200 enrolled. A nonresponsive administration and poor management for the past several years has exacerbated ICS’s decline in enrollment that has been in a constant downward spiral since the 90’s. The school hasn’t seen 300 enrolled since 2002-03. The “extra” programs are similarly overstated.By Shawn Zurawski
February 6, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
Scott, just wanted to say THANK YOU. I feel as though the candidates and the media have ignored education. It is refreshing to see your information compiled in one place. (Even though - no fault of yours - there is a lack of it). Great Blog.By Mary
February 6, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this
“Worried parent”, the line you objected to was my favorite line. Settling for the closest or most convenient does not always work for some kids and families. I was just reading today about a new district wide magnet school for the gifted in a Florida district where students would not necessarily be attending their closest school. I am sure many desperate parents and students will be willing to drive or be bussed the distance to make their education more meaningful and enjoyable. I think it is common for parents of disabled children to pass up the closest school for appropriate services even outside their school district. It is usually more cost effective for the districts, as well.By Worried Parent
February 6, 2008 1:29 PM | Link to this
I’m probably going to get flamed here, but the line “…and choose a school that is a good match for them and for their kids.” made me feel a little uncomfortable as it makes it sound more like making decisions about one’s stock portfolio than one’s children and an advocacy for the [possible] annual moving around of one’s child. I was brought up in a system where we just attended the nearest school, regardless; that line, (maybe even, this whole “shopping around” mentality), makes me feel like a finger is wagging at me for using proximity as the main criteria for choosing my child’s school. (groups.google.com/group/dpstalk)