Evaluating Public Schools

Most parents worry about their children being victimized by the class bully or getting hurt on the playground. Few consider the possibility of a child disappearing while on or near school property. However, that is precisely what happened in an Oregon community in 2010, and it prompted school officials and parents across the country to reexamine how schools protect children during the school day.

The Story of Kyron Horman

Kyron Horman was a second-grade student at Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. He was last seen by his stepmother heading down the school hallway to his classroom on June 4, 2010. However, when young Kyron did not get off the bus later that afternoon, his family discovered that he had never made it into his classroom that day. Although the teacher marked Kyron absent, the school never notified his parents. That oversight resulted in hours passing before a search could be launched for the little boy.

Kyron was at school early that morning to show off his science fair project on tree frogs. Because the science fair was attended by many students and family members, there were many more people in the school than usual during the early morning hours. The school did not have video cameras and was set on the edge of heavily wooded property, where it would have been relatively easy for a child to disappear or for someone to avoid immediate detection.

This video offers a news report on the disappearance of Kyle Horman.

For decades, studies have shown that schools with a high number of students living in poverty do not experience the same academic success as schools in wealthier districts. Many programs have been instituted to narrow the gap since the "War on Poverty" was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary School Act of 1965 was established.

Unfortunately, recent reports show that instead of narrowing the poverty gap, there is a growing divide between low and high-income students at public schools.

The Condition of Education 2010

The Condition of Education 2010 has recently been released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This annual report is federally mandated to provide an assessment of the condition of the educational system in the United States. This year's findings were sobering, as they indicate that the gap between high and low-poverty schools is a widening one.

According to the report, high-poverty schools are defined as institutions where at least 75% of the students enrolled are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Approximately 6 million elementary students and one million secondary students are enrolled in high-poverty schools today.

This video looks at the disparity between rich and poor school districts.

Characteristics of High-Poverty Schools

The NCES report looks at a variety of characteristics of high-poverty schools, including:

• Locations of the schools
• Characteristics of the students
• Qualifications and characteristics of faculty,

Much press coverage has been recently dedicated to the accusations of sexual abuse by priests within the Catholic Church. Parents and religious leaders have risen up in protest, particularly since numerous victims are still living in the aftermath of the abuse years after the incidents occurred.

However, a recent article on LifeSiteNews suggests that the violations of the church pale in comparison to the sexual abuse that goes on in some schools today. A study conducted in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Education stated that "The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."

No parent likes to think that a child might be mistreated while at school. However, incidents of sexual abuse do happen in schools, which many experts liken to incest. An organization known as Stop Educator Sex Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation (S.E.S.A.M.E.) defines sexual misconduct as, "Behavior by an educator that is directed at a student and intended to sexually arouse or titillate the educator or the child." Unfortunately, behavior like this is a concern for parents, educators, and students alike.

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry reports that "Child sexual abuse is a major public health problem. About 1 in every 4 girls and 1 in every 13 boys in the US experience sexual abuse at some time in their childhood. The vast majority of sexual abuse is committed by someone that the child or their family

In choosing the best place to raise a family, parents have always ranked the quality of a school district. For many, choosing the most expensive school district in the region was often equivalent to giving kids the best possible start in life. However, quality education can be found at all economic levels, as long as you are willing to take the time to research each district individually when choosing a home for your family.

Forbes recently made the search a bit easier by publishing "The Best Schools for Your Housing Buck," which lists the top 25 school districts across the country, based on a variety of criteria. Forbes researched the top school districts in the country that provided both high-quality education and fabulous housing for residents. While some of the districts on this list are still relatively pricey for the average American, there are also some locations that provide positive educational opportunities for a fraction of the price.

Smart Criteria Used

Forbes and GreatSchools looked at more than 17,000 cities and towns in 49 states to assemble their listing. Factors considered included:

• Test score data
• Public school enrollment from K-12
• Median home prices for 2009
• Population data for 2009

Some cities were eliminated from the list because of populations less than 10,000 since these areas offered insufficient data for analysis. The study also left out the state of Nebraska, since it does not currently offer a standardized state-wide testing process to evaluate student performance. Cities with

AP courses, state standardized test scores, and teacher-to-student ratios: these are all measures utilized by parents to judge a public high school’s quality. However, what if parents have been evaluating all the wrong statistics? What if the best way to measure a public high school’s educational quality is by the success its students achieve after they graduate?

While some public high schools will proudly publish the colleges to which their seniors have been accepted, what happens to these students once they enter into the towers of higher education? Has their public high school education properly prepared them for the rigors of college?

All of these answers – and more – can actually be answered through research and data compiled by the National Student Clearinghouse.

Measuring a Public High School’s Success

As reported by the Washington Post, the National Student Clearinghouse manages a database of more than 93 million students enrolled in over 3,300 colleges. While this information was once compiled for student loan purposes, the Clearinghouse has now made this data available for high schools.

Included in the National Student Clearinghouse reports is a bevy of valuable information, such as:

• Institutions of enrollment
• College transfer statistics
• College graduation rates
• Types of degrees earned
• Majors pursued

The conclusions that could be gleaned from these reports are invaluable for both high schools and parents. For example, in the sample report evaluated by the Washington Post, the data showed:

• 76% of students who scored 3 or higher on an