ARHS
Yeah, somehow being number 1,100 on Newsweek's list of top public schools in America doesn't provide a catchy cheer. But that certainly is not much of a problem, since being number 1,100 is nothing to cheer about.
Amherst is founded on education and it remains our #1 economic driver; our revered town symbol is the book and the plow (although the new town flag managed to sneak in wheat which was never in much abundance around here).
Amherst -- by at least one suspect survey -- is the #1 college town in America and our sister city UMass is in the top whatever -- depending on which PR flak you believe.
Amherst College trades the #1 in America spot with arch rival Williams College every other year or so, but we have our Minor League team -- Amherst Regional High School -- ranked at 1,100.
Or what critics might point out is the bottom half. And it's not like they are underfunded at an average cost of $18,026 per child, or 25% over state average of $13,636.
8 comments:
Toxic.
And your children breath it in,
every
single
day.
p.s.
They'll find a way to thank you later.
(Believe me.)
Could someone explain to this dweeb that to inhale and exhale air is "to breathe"? Obviously, he's a product of a superior school system.
1,100. As I said before to whoever, money spent at this point is at the point of diminishing returns. Let's cut the school budget back a bit and cut our losses. I think we made our point that the schools can be pretty good, but let's cut back this ridiculous budget. It's draining the town dry and making it impossible for some people to handle the property tax rate. So much focus on the schools is pushing real estate prices through the roof, making buying a home an unattainable by many people. We're not royalty.
I'l have to point out that the school was ranked #9 in the state based on many factors. Heres the link, but typically of the ARPS website it doesn't work. http://arhs.arps.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=926997&pageId=3138773
Will the HS post it's #1100 ranking on its website like the #9 ranking?
"Could someone explain to this dweeb that to inhale and exhale air is "to breathe"? Obviously, he's a product of a superior school system."
Not necessary as it was simply an omit typo.
But oh what a privilege it is to be corrected by a Ponziville immortal.
Noblesse oblige, as they say.
(Right, you friggan chimp?)
The Amherst Reg HS was ranked #9 in the Dreamschool ratings published in the Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/yourtown/dreamschool-top-high-schools-massachusetts-overall-top-high-schools-mass/gnPZP70FeTPhlRKQvhRbwK/article.html?pg=1
The ranking were based on the following criteria: MCAS Math growth, MCAS English growth, school climate (graduation rates, dropout rates, and college attendance intention), college readiness (SAT writing scores and the percentage of students scoring 3 or higher on AP tests), school resources ($ spent per student), and diversity; Each criteria was weighed equally in the rankings, and the rankings reflect how far a school was above from the mean in each of the categories.
There are some issues with the methodology, for example only looking at MCAS student growth rates instead of a school's overall performance. Also, With the school resources criteria, a school spending $30,000+ per student (as some schools do in the eastern part of the state), which be given much more credit in the ranking scheme than a school spending $15,000 per student. Is more $ always better? Based on the Amherst experience, it's not clear it is.
$18,000 per child? Why not make it $20,000, $25,000 per child. Heck, I've got a couple nickels left. It will push taxes and property values even higher. And all on the small chance we'll get another accolade from God knows what publication, based on their own criteria. And the town manager, who is benefiting very handsomely in his position, will be first in line to point all this out to us.
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