Again, Noah's new school doesn't have glowing test scores. Minneapolis schools do not test well. They have a difficult population to deal with, but so does Columbia Heights and their test scores are at or near the top of the entire state.
One of the Waite Park parents made a good point about Waite Park vs. the two other local elementary schools. Wilshire has barely any minorities and the ones they do have are not ESL kids (they don't even have an ESL program) and are not from low income homes.
Observe:
Free Lunch Caucasian
Waite Park 56% 56%
Bel Air 42% 65%
Wilshire 14% 81%
So does Wilshire has the top scores because the families are mostly 2 parent, upper middle class white homes? They don't have special needs or ESL programs so their scores may be higher because of that as well. Does that equal a better school?
Here's the nitty gritty test scores (grade 3):
Math Reading
Waite Park 69% 70%
Bel Air 83% 84%
Wilshire 91% 84%
Another thing to ponder about Wilshire: The only kids I know who have gotten accepted into open enrollment have been minorities from good families who value education. Not ESL kids, not inner city kids, not low income kids. So Wilshire focuses on keeping a population that scores well and doesn't have special needs. I know that attracting kids and keeping enrollment high is good business for schools, but the way Wilshire goes about it rubs me the wrong way.
All of the parents of Waite Park students I have talked to love the school. I think Noah will do well there. The question of if he would do even better at Bel Air or Wilshire keeps nagging at me though. Have I done the best I can to get him into the school that will give him what he needs? It's a hard question that I am sure I will keep asking for years to come.
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There's no perfect school, unfortunately. And most public schools will always have a problem with scores because our legislatures have decided that mainstreaming is essential for kids with disabilities (and in comas and severely handicapped).
However, if you read to Noah, provide him with extracurricular learning experiences, love him, keep an open mind, and monitor his education and his teachers, everything should be okay.
The biggest problem for bright kids is boredom. And it is a big problem! The biggest problem for kids at the other end of the spectrum is simply keeping up.
Noah is smart and we can be pretty sure he's going to be savvy, so I'd say he's got a good start toward success in school.
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