Brooklyn High Schools Improve
When school report cards were released back in September, there were troubling results: even some popular, esteemed schools got bad grades (which could have been the fault of the grading system itself). Well, better news today. New York City high schools have now been reviewed, and their scores are looking pretty good, both the NY…
When school report cards were released back in September, there were troubling results: even some popular, esteemed schools got bad grades (which could have been the fault of the grading system itself). Well, better news today. New York City high schools have now been reviewed, and their scores are looking pretty good, both the NY Times and the NY Post reported. Eighty-two percent of schools earned an A or B, up 17 percent from last year. Brooklyn Tech jumped from a B to an A, and what was the number one best rated high school? Brooklyn International, downtown.
Most City High Schools Improved This Year [NY Times]
High Marks for High Schools [NY Post]
Photo by AllWaysNY.
Apparently they haven’t gotten around to giving an overall grade to my alma mater, South Shore, but it’s nice to see that the statistics indicate it’s still a giant shithole, with a four-year graduation rate of 30%.
The new “progress” grades for schools are simply a scheme to distribute money to schools that traditionally underperform.
Basically, each school is supposed to receive an equal share of education funds, but crappy schools that have traditionally performed badly need an incentive to do well, problem is, they can’t just give the money to these schools and tell them to do better without giving equal amounts to schools performing above average.
thus the “progress” grades. these grades enable the bureaucrats to distribute funds to needy schools without giving money to schools performing well already.
what results is a bunch of discordant grades; schools that are known for excellence and achievement get mediocre grades of B or C because they can’t progress any further, schools that seem to be doing better get A’s and a pat on the back with some money, schools that are hopeless just fail and are given notice.
damn straight east new york! the books are out there to read
ENY – totally agree with your last sentence. Unfortunately the debate usually moves to blaming the teachers and/or city.
“however im also a firm believer that you make what you want out of your education. you can go to the crappiest school ever and still get a great education.”
Quite true – I’m from a family that includes several educators, and have myself attended public schools in NYC and private schools in New England. Parental involvement and the student’s desire to achieve are the most critical elements.
It should always be remembered that these are “progress” reports, not evaluations of the school per se. A bad school that made great strides, but is still pretty mediocre, can get an “A” or a “B” on its progress report. An excellent school that remains unchanged can receive a grade that misleadingly gives the impression that its not a good school.
I think Klein’s report cards are absurd. I’m really distressed that he’s on the short list for Obama’s Secretary of Education.
if dropout rate reaches a certain point, hopefully we can turn the school to a condo conversion
yeah i was just reading an article the other day about most kids are just automatically passed anyway just to keep some from being in high school for 5 years?
-rob