From Deseret News archives:
Go to Web to check out your school
Huge U.S. database offers comparisons on a vast array of issues
How did your nephew's school in Pennsylvania stack up to your niece's in Provo?
How high a priority does the state you're moving to give to school funding?
Starting today, the answers can be found in the largest collection of education data ever assembled: www.SchoolMatters.com.
The massive, nationwide database, a service of Standard & Poor's funded largely by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, contains millions of tidbits on demographics, performance, spending data and analysis tools for every public school in the country. The data, mainly taken from the U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Education Statistics, is free and open to the public.
The idea is to educate the masses on school performance and how it relates to money spent; provide school bosses information to make good decisions; and encourage public dialogue on improving the nation's school systems.
"For someone who's interested in performance and financial data for schools in Utah and nationwide, it's a pretty good resource," said Mike Jerman, vice president of the watchdog Utah Taxpayers Association, which compiles reports on school spending and performance.
But at the same time, site purveyors and Utah public school officials urge visitors to seek additional information before jumping to conclusions.
"Use this tool as a starting point, not an ending point," said Mark Peterson, spokesman for the State Office of Education.
SchoolMatters.com is put forth by the Education Data Partnership, a group established last August that includes the Council of Chief State School Officers, Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services and Achieve Inc.
It's a one-stop shop for information that's already out there, including on the Utah State Office of Education's Web site, www.usoe.org.
Site purveyors hope the site will help improve public schools nationwide.
"Despite a 50 percent increase in per-pupil spending over the past two decades, nearly one-third of public school students fail to graduate, and two-thirds of all students leave high school unprepared for a four-year college," says information provided by the site, quoting data gathered by the Manhattan Institute. "Given the diminishing economic prospects for Americans without a quality education, the need for reform is clear."
Site purveyors envision policymakers and principals contacting schools that are doing well despite challenges and duplicating their programs.
Parents moving to a new town can use the information to find a good match for their child, be it small class sizes, student diversity or performance.
