Why Pennsylvania is trying a new solution for the school scoring equation
Should schools be rated and reviewed like restaurants, movies, and Uber rides? Or are the stakes higher? Why Pennsylvania is trying a new tool.
Listen 15:10
Penn Alexander students celebrate after learning their school was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
What makes a school great? Parents have traditionally relied on websites like GreatSchools, Niche.com, and SchoolDigger to chose the best schools for their children — the higher the score, the better. But what exactly do those scores measure? Should schools be rated and reviewed like restaurants, movies, and Uber rides? Or are the stakes higher? On this episode of The Why, WHYY education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent tells us why Pennsylvania is taking a new approach.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
Brought to you by The Why
The Why
There’s more to every story if you take the time to tell it.
Temple fined $700K in settlement over rankings scandal
The scandal “wrongly increased Temple’s enrollment and revenue, deceived consumers, and unfairly harmed competitors," the U.S. Department of Education alleged.
3 years ago
Latest attempt to rate N.J. schools is now public
The ratings ranged from 1 to 100 and are based on a compilation of factors for schools in each category.
5 years ago
Pennsylvania ditches school scoring, but will parents?
Pa. wants to shed labels and reduce the importance of test scores with its new accountability tool. But will it alienate parents in the process?
5 years ago
Listen 5:56