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AyyScare OP t1_j7dqba4 wrote

Reply to comment by jcampbellmclean in Opinions on Niche's Baltimore Neighborhood ratings? Any neighborhoods you strongly disagree with the ratings on? by AyyScare

As someone who has done very little digging into the topic: Can you elaborate a little on why the school data is so bad? Are sites like GreatSchools the same way?

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jcampbellmclean t1_j7du258 wrote

Thanks for the discussion here.

I think sites like GreatSchools are just as bad & probly same data (20yrs in education, fwiw).

They usually draw on standardized tests, which are often biased. Single snapshots of a student’s correct answers reflect only a few of many cognitive skills. They also don’t reflect growth, and I’d rather put my kids in a low-score high-growth school - it means they teach better. Sadly, you could just measure whiteness & income and you’d get similar data.

Sites like these amplify the test scores as reputations, making the ratings a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are better measures of schools than tests; Baltimore City Schools makes & uses many.

Again, thanks.

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pbear737 t1_j7ecnmr wrote

Are there ways for an average person to get more info on "high growth" schools?

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wbruce098 t1_j7fmo63 wrote

This is my take but…

In my experience, talk to the teachers and school counselors. Most of my son’s teachers were more than happy to engage with me and keep me updated on his progress. He’s a middling B/C student based on test scores alone, but the feedback I got from his teachers helped us make sure he graduated and understood the concepts. Often we assume the school will do it for us, but they have many other students to account for, and metrics to focus on. I can’t afford private school, so carving out the time to make sure my kid attended, and got his assignments turned in adequately completed helped make sure he graduated and got accepted into a local college.

It wasn’t easy, and the last year of school was hella stressful for both of us for a number of reasons, but it paid off.

I don’t think most schools are “bad” per se, even in Baltimore. Some are much better than others, but most of a school experience is what the parent makes of it. Most teachers WANT their kids to learn. Our children are a long term investment in our family’s ability to grow, and reach or maintain middle class livelihoods, and support our communities.

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wbruce098 t1_j7flu8m wrote

My son attended Digital Harbor HS in Fed Hill. I found it interesting that even though the neighborhood is 75% white, the school was closer to 75% African American. It was a decent school, though not perfect, but his teachers were involved and made efforts to ensure the students remained engaged. Like my son, it appears most of that school’s students are from other parts of town.

My working theory, which this admittedly small data point supports, is that those who can afford it will either send their children to private schools or move to the suburbs once they’re able to, perhaps moving back once their children are grown. The school he attended in AACO wasn’t any better, actually, but was in a highly rated district by GreatSchools. His best educational foundation came from when we were stationed in Hawaii and he attended local schools, which were also rated by GS as about the same as most of Baltimore’s.

Here’s the thing: good schooling is a combination of the school’s resources, the teachers’ abilities, and most importantly, parental involvement. If their parents aren’t involved, the kid is less likely to be engaged and will learn nothing even if they graduate from an Ivy League school. See our last president for example.

One problem in Hawaii, which I suspect Baltimore may also have, is a feeling by many that education was less important than getting a job to support one’s own less affluent family; after all, it was very difficult to rise into the middle class there without connections or money. So why bother when putting food on the table today is most important?

I’m fortunate that my son didn’t have to work while he was in high school and I even had him quit his job when it began to affect his grades and attendance, but not every family has this luxury.

So I think part of the solution for Baltimore is, how can we stress the importance of education to our own residents, and get the community involved in its own education? How can we incentivize higher performance in school as a long term investment in our own children? For some, that may require better government efforts at eliminating poverty and supporting struggling middle class families.

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