Evaluating Public Schools

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education recognizes hundreds of public and private schools across the country for their commitment to educational excellence and their ability to overcome outstanding odds to properly educate their students. These schools receive the National Blue Ribbon of Distinction, an award reserved for schools that boast students who meet and maintain high educational goals. The Blue Ribbon Award celebrates the idea that all students, regardless of background, ability or location, deserve an excellent education. The current winners are listed on the U.S. Department of Education website.

What is a National Blue Ribbon of Distinction?

According to the National Blue Ribbon website, "The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their state or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement." Schools at all levels – elementary, middle and high schools – are eligible for the award. Each school that is given the honor of a Blue Ribbon Award shares several key characteristics: they have administrators and teachers who are dedicated to high standards of learning for all students, they engage in data collection and analysis to determine the efficacy of instruction and assessment, they have students who demonstrate academic excellence, and they undertake professional development to stay at the forefront of best practices.

The award has been given out since 1982, evaluating student achievement with measurable characteristics that help identify not only the high achievers, but also those

When parents send their children to school in the morning, most assume their kids will not be exposed to drugs, alcohol or gang activity on campus. They believe schools are a relatively safe environment, dedicated to the task of teaching children the basic academic disciplines and preparing them for productive, prosperous adulthood. Unfortunately, new findings suggest that alcohol and drug use, as well as gang activity, may be more prevalent in public schools than parents realize.

Concerning Numbers from Recent Survey

A recent report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) showed potentially disturbing findings. According to the study, as many as one in four middle and high school students have reported the presence of both drugs and gangs on their campuses. An analysis in the Los Angeles Times deduced that approximately 5.7 million students across the country are also more likely to drink, smoke and use drugs than students at private and parochial schools, where drugs and gangs are virtually non-existent.

Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Joseph Califano Jr., is responsible for the study. Califano told WebMD that the prevalence of drugs and gang activity is a cancer in public schools. Califano adds, "It is just outrageous. It is nothing less than state-sanctioned child abuse to require parents to send their kids to schools where drugs and gangs are present."

Califano told the Los Angeles Times that the

Field trips are an excellent way to enhance the learning experience for students, whether taking a trek through a museum or a hike on a nature trail. Most students occasionally relish the change of venue, and they benefit from hands-on training that makes many school subjects come to life.

Parents are usually happy to send kids along, assuming that adequate supervision will be provided to keep kids safe throughout the trip. However, several recent tragic events have forced some school districts to take a second look at the safety of taking students on the road.

Long Beach Nightmare

A seemingly innocent trip to Long Beach for a middle school class at Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and Engineering turned tragic when one student drowned in rough waters just off the coastline, according to a report in the New York Times.

Erin Bailey, a first-year English teacher and former lifeguard, and her boyfriend Joseph Garnevicus chaperoned the trip, along with Victoria Wong, a 19-year-old college intern who worked there. Assistant Principal Andrew Stillman helped organize the trip and notified parents by email the day before. No permission slips were distributed.

Students reported that no lifeguards were on duty, and signs were posted indicating that swimming was prohibited. Bailey allegedly warned students not to go too far out in the water. Student Nicole Suriel was standing with others in water that reached between her knees and waists when rough waters suddenly carried them out.

Most parents worry about their children being victimized by the class bully or getting hurt on the playground. Few consider the possibility of a child disappearing while on or near school property. However, that is precisely what happened in an Oregon community recently, and it has school officials and parents alike wondering what can be done to enhance children's safety at school.

The Story of Kyron Horman

Kyle Horman is a second-grader at Skyline Elementary School in Portland. He was last seen by his step-mother heading down the school hallway to his classroom on June 4, according to a recent report on ABC News. However, when young Kyron did not get off the bus later that afternoon, his family discovered that he had never made it into his class that day. Although the teacher marked Kyron absent, the school never notified his parents. That oversight resulted in hours passing before a search could be launched for this little boy.

Horman was at school early that morning to show off his science fair project on tree frogs. Because the science fair was attended by many students and family members, there were many more people in the school than usual in the early morning hours. The school does not have video cameras and is set on the edge of deep woods, where it would be fairly easy for a little boy to disappear or for someone to hide him for a period of time.

For decades, studies have shown that schools with a high number of students living in poverty do not experience the same academic success as schools in wealthier districts. Many programs have been instituted to narrow the gap since the "War on Poverty" was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary School Act of 1965 was established.

Unfortunately, recent reports show that instead of narrowing the poverty gap, there is a growing divide between low and high-income students at public schools.

The Condition of Education 2010

The Condition of Education 2010 has recently been released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This annual report is federally mandated to provide an assessment of the condition of the educational system in the United States. This year's findings were sobering, as they indicate that the gap between high and low-poverty schools is a widening one.

According to the report, high-poverty schools are defined as institutions where at least 75% of the students enrolled are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Approximately 6 million elementary students and one million secondary students are enrolled in high-poverty schools today.

This video looks at the disparity between rich and poor school districts.

Characteristics of High-Poverty Schools

The NCES report looks at a variety of characteristics of high-poverty schools, including:

• Locations of the schools
• Characteristics of the students
• Qualifications and characteristics of