| How schools fit into Public school rankings are | | | | working one or more jobs to make ends meet. It’s |
| extremely important to many people. District and state | | | | also possible that parents don’t know that they |
| officials, principals, teachers, parents, and students are | | | | have options in where they send their children to |
| all concerned, in varying degrees, in how their schools | | | | school – and can find better ones by looking at |
| compare to others. In a society that is increasingly | | | | Public school rankings. Families who are simply |
| trying to “keep up with the Joneses”, all | | | | struggling to survive may not have school as a top |
| investors in the schools (the same folks listed above) | | | | priority. They probably don’t even know that Public |
| are constantly monitoring how they stand in public | | | | school rankings even exist and are available to them; |
| school rankings , and trying to be better than other | | | | they are too busy living day to day to even look into |
| schools. | | | | Public school rankings. Often, parents at this low level |
| Lots of factors go into determining where a school is | | | | of income are themselves undereducated, and simply |
| placed in Public school rankings. While the majority of | | | | do not know that there are better educational |
| the consideration is given to test scores – how well | | | | opportunities out there which are identified by their |
| students scored, as well as how many have taken | | | | placement in Public school rankings. As a matter of |
| advanced assessments such as Advanced | | | | fact, due to the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, and the |
| Placement tests – consideration is also given to | | | | 2007 reauthorization of that Act, parents of students |
| factors like socioeconomic background. To be more | | | | who are attending low-performing schools at the |
| specific, Public school rankings are influenced by how | | | | bottom of Public school rankings have the right to |
| many kids are receiving free or reduced lunches each | | | | withdraw their children from said schools and enroll |
| school day. | | | | them in places that are on the top in regards to Public |
| Kids who come from a low socioeconomic | | | | school rankings. |
| background, meaning their families are at or below | | | | It is definitely to the benefit of all parents, whether they |
| poverty level, tend to attend schools that are not up to | | | | are below poverty level or at the more affluent end of |
| snuff – and are in the lower end of Public school | | | | the spectrum to consider Public school rankings |
| rankings. It’s not meant, by any means, that they | | | | whenever they are making decisions about which |
| are choosing these schools. Maybe they have no | | | | schools their children will attend. It is a decision that can |
| other options; it’s easiest for their parent(s) to send | | | | have long-reaching, indeed life-changing effects. |
| them to the closest school to home because they are | | | | |