Top Public Schools in America: Are They Missing the Point?

What does it take to be one of the best public schools in America?  U.S. Weekly recently started rating public schools the in the same way that it has been helping high-school graduates decide which college is the best.  So what does it take to be the best? 

Looking at the list almost all schools have partnered with a university, college, or community college in order to provide classes that award college credit.  A few offer tracks that students can take, similar to a major in college or have a focus such as STEM or art.  Overall, it seems that most of the top performing schools are structured very similarly to a college. 

My next question is how did they get there?  Do these schools have teachers who’ve earned their Ph.D.?  Do teachers make more money?  Are the communities affluent and supportive?  What models have they created that can benefit the schools that didn’t make the list?

I took a closer look at the top school, Dallas’ Schools for the Talented and Gifted and wanted to know what made it so special.

First, let’s look at the demographics.  It’s located in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood with an average income of about $22,800 per year compared to over $40,000 in the rest of the state.  So I feel safe in saying it’s not because of the resources of the community when they’re earning almost half of the rest of the state attending schools that did not make the list.   

So, what about the teachers?  After browsing a few teacher profiles, none that I saw had Ph.D.’s but almost all had been recognized in the state for their teaching efforts and successes.  All of the teachers had more than 10 years of experience.   This is potentially noteworthy.  Looking inward, the teachers at my school average less than 10 (most less than 5 years).  Only 2 have been teaching more than 10 years and the number of years that the upper grades (6 teachers) have COMBINED are just around 20 years.  Perhaps the answer lies in the number of years teachers have been in the classroom.  However, we know that teachers tend to stay in a functional and high-performing school so which came first here?

Lastly, let’s look at the curriculum and expectations.  Talented and Gifted is a magnet school which means students have to apply to get in.  There are currently only a few openings in 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade.  There are 65 openings in 9^th grade.  How do you get in?  Well, just like applying for college, you had better built up your resume before the age of 15.  There are several conditions for acceptance, especially if you are looking for fill the 1 spot left for 11^th grade.  I hope those tween years were productive! 

Overall, I wonder if the Talented and Gifted School in Dallas has missed the point of public education.  How can a school be rated the best if they require applications for entrance?  Any city, and all cities, has utilized different school models to become the best public school.  However, if these models are not available to everyone, haven’t we just created a private school using public finances?