Schools
New York Schools Rank 25th Best in America
National school rankings put New York in the middle of the pack.
When it comes to quality education, New York State is in the middle of the pack based on one website's national rankings.
New York schools rank No. 25 in the United States, according to a new 2016 study by WalletHub. The state's rank at No. 25 puts it far behind its neighbors: New Jersey was ranked No. 2 and Connecticut was ranked No. 3.
The study reviewed the 50 states and the District of Columbia for school system quality and safety, using 17 relevant metrics with different weights.
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Overall scores were calculated using a weighted average of the metrics. New York scored 51.61, with a school system quality rank of 32 and a school system safety rank of 15.
The No. 1 school system in the study is Massachusetts, with an overall score of 73.65 and first-place ranks for quality and safety. Montana earned one place above New York at No. 24. Louisiana has the worst overall score — 30.33 — putting it in 51st place.
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The study also found New York schools have the No. 5 best average ACT score in the country, with Hawaii falling in last place on that metric.
William Coplin, professor of Public Affairs and director of the Public Affairs Program in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, said state and local policymakers “can make decisions for the majority of the students instead of the high achieving students” to improve school systems.
He said schools should be measured based on preparing all students for all types of careers.
“As long as that is not the primary measure of quality, quality is irrelevant,” he said.
Best Schools:
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
Worst Schools:
- Louisiana
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- Arizona
- District of Columbia
Khuram Hussain, Associate Professor of Education at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, offered five questions everyone should ask when evaluating a school system:
- Are teachers collaborative? Teachers that work in teams to plan and problem-solve, and use master teachers as mentors are better equipped to address a wide array of learning needs.
- Are educators institutionally supported? School systems with institutionally supported professional associations, unions, tenure and promotion opportunities as well as highly competitive salaries yield better outcomes than schools without such supports.
- Does the school support learning communities? From class size, to student cohorts, creating a small community that learns together is measurably effective at improving student learning in ways that isolated or overcrowded classrooms do not.
- Is there authentic, school-wide leadership? Authentic leadership entails school-wide participation in issues of school governance and policy making by students, parents and staff. The absence of school-wide leadership is indicative of top-down school structures with limited capacity for community-engaged learning.
- Is there deep commitment to multiculturalism? Schools that recognize and honor students’ home cultures in the curriculum promote inclusive and engaged learning. Furthermore, school systems that empower students to address social inequalities related to cultural differences help to build inclusive and just learning communities.
For the full report, click here.
Photo via Shutterstock
Reporting by Morgan Searles (Patch Staff)
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