Evaluating Public Schools

Families often choose the location of their next home by where their children will go to school. As the focus on school performance has become more astute thanks to a rising emphasis on test scores and completion rates, home shoppers have become more cautious in their selections as well. Do schools directly affect home values in a neighborhood? The answer may depend on where you are shopping for your next home.

Home Values and School Spending

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, there is a definite correlation between school expenditures and home values in any given neighborhood. A report titled, “Using Market Valuation to Assess Public School Spending,” found that for every dollar spent on public schools in a community, home values increased $20. These findings indicate that additional school expenditures may benefit everyone in the community, whether or not those residents actually have children in the local public school system.

This video outlines the correlation between good schools and home prices.

While the findings of this national study are compelling, they do not paint a full picture of the link between school spending and home values. According to the website, some school districts may operate more efficiently, so while expenditures are lower, the quality of education is still high. In addition, the size of the district or proximity of schools from neighboring districts could impact the perception of a

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U.S. News has released its newest ranking of the top-performing public high schools in the country. The rankings are compiled by the news publication annually to help students and parents discover the best high school choices in their states. Rankings are determined by a precise set of criteria that looks at student performance and college readiness. A special look is taken at how well a high school serves its least-advantaged students in these areas.

The Method Behind the Research

To assess thousands of schools throughout the United States, U.S. News teams up with the American Institutes for Research. This DC-based organization is considered a foremost authority on behavioral and social sciences research across the globe. AIR is responsible for the new criteria utilized by U.S. News this year, which were based on the idea that top schools should effectively serve all the students in their population. This explains the specific examination of student performance by disadvantaged students at each school.

Researchers perused data from more than 21,000 high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. States had to provide adequate data and 12-grade enrollment to be included in the rankings. Nebraska did not submit sufficient data on the state’s high schools to be considered. Rankings were completed on a statewide and national basis, to provide the best framework for parents and students who use the rankings to choose the best local high school for their needs.

This video reports on the rankings

The numbers are in that indicate how well the education system in the United States is serving its students. Education Week has released its 17^th annual ratings for the quality of education in each of the 50 states, awarding letter grades to schools similar to those found on student report cards. Unfortunately, the report card indicated there is still plenty of work to do for most states across the country, with an average national grade of a C+ overall. However, there were a number of bright spots across the survey as well, particularly in the top rated states where education appears to be thriving in many ways.

“Quality Counts”

The survey, titled, “Quality Counts,” uses six key metrics to grade the quality of education in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The metrics are as follows:

• K-12 Achievement
• Assessment and Accountability
• Transitions and Alignment
• Standards
• Students’ Chances for Long-Term Success
• The Teaching Profession

Within these six metrics are more than 100 indicators that include such factors as graduation rates, education funding and achievement gaps, according to a report on the survey at the Washington Post. Data was collected from sources like the U.S. Department of Education and the Census Bureau to compile these recent rankings.

Interesting Note on Findings

When discussions on education quality arise, many of them tend to center on school funding. The general school of thought is that the more money that is pumped into public schools, the higher the

When lists come out of the rich and famous, it is often assumed that these individuals were raised in an elite environment filled with private schooling and tutors to guide them on their path to success. However, many of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies today came from much more humble beginnings – through the public school systems in their neighborhoods. If there was ever a doubt about how public school can launch students on the road to prosperity, these 15 individuals are living examples to dispel those doubts.

1. Michael T. Duke – Wal-Mart Stores

Michael Duke is currently serving as the fourth Chief Executive Officer for Wal-Mart. Duke joined the company in 1995 and quickly developed a broad base of experience as he led the Logistics, Distribution and Administration Divisions, and more recently, the U.S. Operations. From 2005 to 2009, Duke served as vice-chairman of the company, taking the reins as CEO in February, 2009, according to a bio at the Wall Street Journal.

Duke has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. After college, he held positions with a number of retail companies before heading to Wal-Mart, including Federated Department Stores, May Department Stores and Venture Stores. Before his college career, Michael Duke was a student at Fayette County High School, located in Fayetteville, Georgia, according to Wikipedia.

2. Rex W. Tillerson – Exxon Mobil

Rex W. Tillerson is the Chairman and Chief Executive