JaBbA's Hut

There's been a spate of good news about the Cleveland Hts-University Hts schools lately.

It's been a year, but the courts have finally ruled that RIVA truly did fail in their attempt to repeal the levy last year. Not only that, but they have to pay the costs incurred by the School Board in defending against their constant court challenges.

And what happens when you fund a school system?

Well, you get national recognition as a school system that provides "What Parents Want". About 16% of the public education systems in this country qualify for this award - less than 1 in 6. The award criteria include:

Criteria used for award selection include:

- A close match to what SchoolMatch users most often request. Compilation of over 97,000 parent questionnaires completed by SchoolMatch clients reveals parents most often look for school systems that are:

1. competitive in academic test scores and academically solid, but not so rigorous as to intimidate their children
2. accredited
3. recognized for excellence by a national foundation or by the U.S. Department of Education
4. competitive in teacher salaries
5. above average in instructional expenditures on a national percentile basis
6. above average in expenditures for library/media services on a national percentile basis
7. known for small class size

- Availability of programs at the secondary level.
Since relocating parents often focus upon finding a school system that produces a certain quality of "end product" (a high school graduate), only school systems that provide secondary school programs are eligible for the award.

And then the all-important test scores go up. What makes this all the more remarkable is that scores across the region went DOWN - CH-UH was one of the few bright spots in the report.

The district made pretty deep cuts, even with the levy. But they're showing that given the opportunity, the kids are getting a first-class education.


UPDATE Here's the Schoolmatch report for CHUH