"How Not to Pick a School"

A link to a great article in the Washington Post appeared in my e-mail in-box today. There are two reasons why this story is compelling to me and why I think it should be widely read.

First, I worked with this reporter in D.C. at a wire service in the early 90s. So it's nice to see what happens to people you know and be able to promote their writing.

Brigid writes about choosing a neighborhood public school in Alexandria, Va. for her children despite the fact that the test scores were not as high as other schools in the district or state. The story is called "How Not to Pick a School." Let's just say she is happy she ignored the prevailing wisdom.

Secondly, the research she cites for why white parents, in particular, should look twice at diverse public schools is important.

Also important is the research, confirmed by her own at the Post, that shows that low-income students in more socioeconomically balanced schools do better than low-income students in primarily low-income schools. The School Committee looked at similar research before it changed the assignment system from race-based to income-based.