Metropolitan Area Has 16 Schools in Top 100 Ranking

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/520815.html

They must of have made a mistake because not one Loudoun school is on the list.

 

So much for the School Board's "you have to pay lots of dollars for good schools" theory.
Ranks right up there with Inova's "competition will raise prices" theory.

 

Wonder why TJ's not there???

 

I forgive you Cliff for putting the hospital war into my thread

Because starting today I am the kinder gentler Lee or Dalyn is going to take Linux's advice and take my computer away But don't think I am going to be a push over

OK there is an old saying throwing money at something usually does not work. In the building business we have an saying make it look like a million but cost a half million.

Personally our school system needs to look deep into itself and work with the BOS from this point on for the next budget as both said they would. Our school system has always pretty much got what they wanted in the good times and us not having at least one school ranked in this survey with the kind of money they been given is absurd and perhaps the rest of the world does not look at Loudoun being the best place as we who live here do or at least fooling ourselves in believing. This county needs to have a complete overhaul from top to bottom including the schools and see if we are not fooling ourselves that we have it so good out here. The next many years will be the deciding point how the little land left in eastern Loudoun is used and how it is built out . Will it be done well or junky and will we ever start designing building a real transportation system here????

But the real reason many of you moved here is the school system and the quality of live with it. Another survey in the local paper said most Loudouner's are happy with their quality of life overall. Well is that going to continue as we go thru the next ten years of fiscally tough times. Will the schools take a deep look and really implement the things in education that will prepare our kids for their futures. The school system has had plenty of money over the last years and what have they done with it to really prepare our kids for their futures????

Cliff is right where did that money go for real education not the fluff programs that the kids can get outside of school.

The paper said today the dulles corridor has the largest amount of commercial space available in the area and close in is not doing very well either. There are many finished see thru buildings all over the place out here so the idea that we can grow the commercial base for tax purposes anytime soon is not going to happen. As a matter of fact many businesses are going out of business business. My business the construction business was a huge economic engine out here and is drying up fast. As projects get done you won't see anymore for a long long time.

My point is the money for the school system is drying up as fast as the economy slows to a crawl and where is that money going to come from in the next many years.
From higher and higher taxes ????? well you can keep raising them. But since the largest increase in the entire DC area we just shot ourselves in the foot for growing the commercial tax base there are plenty of empty class A offices just across our border in Fairfax with the much cheaper tax rate finished and totally empty. hmmm

So my thought just where is the money going to come from for next years school budget??????? Like I said my real estate taxes in real dollars went up by over $2,000 I am not going to stand for that next year. So School people and BOS right now sharpen your pencils and come up with some solid and creative ways to fund next years budget??????

 

How did Clarke County get on there? Seems random for one school in Clarke County to be on there, but according to the school's website it's because of its International Bacculaureate program. What is that?

 

International Bacculaureate program...here's their website

http://www.ibo.org/

 

So how does one random school in Clarke County get enough money for something like that?

 

bake sales. lots and lots od bake sales...

 

I don't know what criteria were used to determine the ranking but, I couldn't be happier with the education my children are receiving at Loudoun schools. With very few exceptions, their teachers have been wonderful, some exceptional. They have had wonderful coaches and their friends are busy goal oriented teenagers.

I attended Langley High School, which made the list, and my children are getting a superior education in most every way.

 

I grew up in Loudoun County and I thought my education was great as well.

 

I agree, my son attended Loudoun Cty schools from kindergarten thru high school - was # 5 in his class and was graduated with honors from UVA. He was also accepted at VA Tech, Wake Forest, among others as well. He now is very successful in his career path. I feel that high school prepared him well for college and beyond. He played two sports in HS and surrounded himself with wonderful friends. Overall, a very pleasant experience for him.

 

tyger- i have a feeling that his HOME LIFE contributed to his success more than the schools!

that's actually very true- what we do and encourage at home is just as if not more important than the cirriculum. we ALL have the opp. to know what our kids are studying- if we feel it's not enough the internet and libaries are FULL of opportunities to enrich their education.

 

Redon1 - you're absolutely right! My husband and I stayed very involved in all his school and sports activities as well! We did a lot as a family and even to this day - he's 26 now and living on his own - he bought a townhouse two years ago - we remain very close and take family vacations together when we can.

 

makes me think that the SHCOOL isn't the problem in LoCo's case, but it's the kids COMING to school with parents who aren't involved, serious behavior problems that effect the whole class, kids too over extended with after school activities to buckle down in class.

i only say it cuz i see it... the older my kid gets, the more i see.

 

redon1 and tyger31 you all so correct about parents being involved with there kids. A police Officer friend of ours who has worked with kids a lot told us it is amazing how one bad kid can have so much influence on a bunch of good kids. I always loved that tv commercial DO you Know were your kids are??????

 

This is their ranking system:
"Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 divided by the number of graduating seniors."
If I read it correctly, all that you have to do is make lots and lots of your students take AP Tests to get a high ranking. They don't even have to pass. (BTW in 2005, the top HS by this ranking was in Alabama. Nothing against AL, but.....:scaredeyes:

 

so- in other words- it's meaningless drivel unless the name JAY MATTHEWS means something to you...?

 

From Newsweek:

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.

Note that Broad Run is 178, Stone Bridge is 259. For other Loudoun schools, Loudoun Valley is 159, Potomac Falls is 168, Loudoun County is 249. So Loudoun County schools don't fair too badly according to these criteria, which admittedly might not be truly reflective of the quality of the school.

 

I looked him up on wikipedia. It appears that he wrote or edited his own wiki-entry. LOL

He is an education writer.

My scale would be:
25 x % of graduating seniors attending Ivy League Schools
10 x % of graduating seniors attending their 1st-3rd choice schools
5 x % of graduating seniors attending 4 year schools
2 x % of graduating seniors attending 2 year colleges, trade schools & military service.
-2 x % of graduating senior who end up working retail
-20 x % senior class not graduating
Add it up, and I'll betcha LoCo is doing ok!

 

Just so I understand you and please correct me if I'm reading this wrong.

You put 5 times more value on attending an Ive League as opposed to any other 4 year institution?

Going to any 4 year school is worth 2.5 times more than a 2 year school, trade school or military?

What's wrong with retail?

-20 for not graduating?