As featured in the August/September 2005 edition of Area Development magazine

Getting Educated About an Area's Public Schools

There are ways to measure the quality of a community's public school system, which may rank high as a location factor in terms of both quality-of-life and labor.

By:  Debra Williams

Area Development Magazine

The neighborhood school has often been the center of a community. Youngsters eagerly race through the doors, ready to get started on the future. A school draws otherwise reclusive neighbors together. The very condition of a school, in fact, is often an indicator of the economic health of an area.

Even today, when magnet schools have replaced many neighborhood hubs, education is still the first question asked of realtors, the first issue to come up at political debates, and the number-one concern of parents. It's no surprise, then, that most site selectors rank the quality of public education systems high on the list of factors that combine to make a good site an excellent site.

"Every site location study that I have conducted has included an element of evaluating public schools as part of an overall community assessment that we do to help a client compare the strengths and weaknesses of an area," explains Buzz Canup, Ed.D. Canup is president of site selection services at AngelouEconomics in Austin, Texas.

"It's rarely a deal maker, but it can be a differentiator," says Canup. "If I have a high school where the graduation rate is below the national average, the pupil-teacher ratio is 25:1, and the facilities are overcrowded, I'm going to be concerned."

Canup, who served as vice president of a technical college for several years, always tries to visit one or two schools and meets with superintendents once a search has been narrowed.

Quality-of-Life or Labor Issue?
Is public education a quality-of-life issue, grouped in with recreational opportunities or cultural happenings? Or is it a measurement of the aptitude of a local labor force? In most cases, it's a little of both. A good school system, of course, doesn't automatically mean that adult workers will have the skills you need or that enough adult workers will be available. At the same time, though, it does offer a great deal of insight into a community.

Canup says that, as a quality-of-life issue, a good public school system will help you lure employees and will make current employees more apt to relocate. He says, "If a company is looking at making a major investment, they're likely going to be relocating employees, and the children of those employees need a quality educational system."

However, Canup relies on other factors to measure labor. "When we are doing a labor analysis, we're looking for people that are trainable more than we are looking for specific skills. We generally look for solid high-school graduates with good communication skills. Very seldom do you find employees ready to go to work right out of high school."

Comparing Quality
Every school system has its positives, and most school representatives are eager to tell prospective neighbors about them. With a little detective work, though, you can dig beyond the public relations and find out the true make-up of a school system.

Steven M. Sundrie, Ph.D., is the executive vice president of Schoolmatch.com, a website that provides comparative information on school systems throughout the country. More than two million people visit the site each month looking for comparative data on school systems.

Sundrie recommends looking at school systems in four broad categories: academic regimen, size, funding, and sociodemographic information that influences the school system. Performance standards, ACT/SAT scores, and other common statistics, he says, best measure the first category. Sundrie, also a distinguished research professor at the University of Dayton School of Education and Allied Professions, says the basic indicator of size is the pupil-teacher ratio. The national average is 15.9:1 according to the U.S. Department of Education.

"The third area covers funding that is directly related to students in the classroom, like teacher salaries and per-pupil expenditures," explains Sundrie. And the fourth covers statistics that, while they do not directly impact the classroom, may influence the quality of the school system. One common example is the educational attainment of adults.

Money: The Ultimate Measurement?
Sundrie says people are sometimes confused by the third factor, funding. More money does not always equate with a better school system. Money is measured typically by the expenditure per pupil. The national average, according to the U.S. Department of Education, is $7,524. In short, more is not always better.

"There are school systems that don't have stellar funding, but do have excellent systems," says Sundrie. "Obviously, there has to be a sufficient amount of funds to keep the schools open and to have up-to-date learning resources. Whether you can always point to new buildings that cost a lot of money and say that they're better than older buildings that are well-maintained, I don't know."

He advises those doing comparisons to look beyond the general numbers and instead look at how the money is spent. "I would look at funds that are directed toward enhancing and improving student learning when comparing two systems. Are instructional materials available and adequately funded? Is the teaching staff compensated well when compared to others in the geographic area?"

Measuring Performance
Since a higher budget doesn't always equate with a better system, site selectors should pay close attention to performance standards. As Sundrie mentions, these include ACT/SAT scores. If you're not planning on hiring a lot of college graduates, you still want to pay attention to those pre-college tests. Low scores on these likely mean the aptitude of a system's non–college-bound students is sub-standard as well.

Also check performance on state-mandated standardized tests. Many states require students to pass one of these tests prior to graduation. Find out how many students pass on the first try and how that compares to other systems within the state. Don't stop, though, at just looking at pieces of paper.

"Go in and spend some time in the school. The quality of the school is determined by the culture of the school, and that isn't represented in test scores," says Irwin Blumer, Ed.D., chair of Educational Administration and Higher Education at Boston College. His advice? Make sure the school is open to parents.

The Vocational Track
An active vocational education program of some type for students who are not planning to attend college is very important. The existence of an option for students choosing not to go to college is an indicator of a well-rounded program that is attentive to the needs of all students.

One of the latest trends is to offer vocational education at the secondary level in a multicounty or multidistrict collaboration. Blumer says this model is used in Massachusetts successfully. Vocational training is offered at one large, central location just as popular magnet schools cater to the arts or sciences.

"Instead of attending the neighborhood high school, students can go to a vocational training center," explains Blumer. "Several communities may band together to do this. By sharing costs, they can get the latest equipment and give students up-to-date training. If you want to be a technology specialist or a licensed practical nurse, that's where you go."

When evaluating vocational programs, keep in mind that few will offer industry-specific skills. "Not all vocational training programs at the high-school level are designed to provide employment skills," says Canup. "Those programs are very beneficial to students simply by providing an understanding of processes and methods used in various types of business."

Placement rates are one way to evaluate vocational programs. Finding out where recent graduates are working reveals how local corporations feel about the quality of the vocational track. Canup also advises to look at how the track is governed.

"One measure that I think is very important is the use of an advisory committee, particularly for programs that supply area employers with skilled employees," Canup says. Advisory committees are made up of people in the particular trade. They meet periodically with instructors and participate in reviews of the curriculum and offer constructive criticism.

The Impact of Community Support
One of the most understated impacts on the quality of a public education system is community support. This support goes far beyond the "adopt a school" programs or active parent-teacher organizations. A community that supports public schools creates an atmosphere that encourages learning at all levels.

"If the attitude of the community is such, the community will find the resources," Sundrie says. Programs for talented and gifted students, advanced placement courses, and strong courses for academically challenged students are often funded at the insistence of parents and other community influences.

Community support and its influence are difficult to gauge. Look for community involvement in the school system as an indicator. Does the school system receive any private funding through local foundations or significant fund-raising events? Are learning opportunities available outside the classroom, provided by corporations or civic or private organizations?

Signs of a Bad School System
Bad SAT scores or an underfunded library shouldn't automatically cause you to rate a school system as "bad." These are just two of many factors that should be considered. Some factors, however, should act as flashing warning lights in your evaluation. These factors may indicate a broken system:

• High dropout rates: According to the Department of Education, the national average is 10.7 percent. If a school system is much higher than this, it could mean that learning is not engaging, resulting in bored students. It may also show a lack of concern among administrators, or it may be because education has historically not been valued in an area. It's a double concern if a system is not responding with a proactive, funded effort to lower the rate. A high dropout rate isn't always the school system's fault, but it does show that something is wrong.

• High teacher-turnover rates: When a school system cannot find and attract talented teachers, the outcome of time spent in the classroom suffers. High turnover rates may be due to inadequate funding, or may be the result of a high pupil-teacher ratio or a lack of community support. Again, they're often an indicator of bigger problems within the system or the community.

• Bad facilities: Bad doesn't mean old. It means school systems that are not maintained. Students cannot learn in facilities that are unsafe or uncomfortable. A new school could fall into this category if a noisy heat and air unit distracts students in the library. A 40-year-old school can be a great place to learn if the building is in good shape. Warning signs include no air conditioning or lots of temporary classroom space — usually in the form of metal trailers located throughout the campus. Bad facilities may be an indicator of a lack of community support as well as inadequate funding.

• Indifferent administrators: Yes, school administrators are always busy, but beware of ones that don't have time to meet with business leaders. The superintendent of a strong school system will be happy to brag to you about his schools. Canup says superintendent meetings can be a window into the system. "You can pick up quickly things like attitude, the ability to recruit teachers, and severe funding shortages," he concludes.