Yeah Riverside!!
http://www.suntimes.com/pcds/html/stng/hs/isat/rank_suburban_elementary.html
Riverside Info » About Riverside
Blythe Park #1 in Suburban Elementary Schools
(42 posts)-
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 14:21 #
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Reason to be proud.
Blythe Park has always been considered the best primary school in town in the time I have lived here. What do they do differently there? I am just curious.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 15:07 # -
a couple correlative observations:
One thing my wife has observed (my wife works as an aide there): is that the shortest tenure of any teacher was something like 15 years. This was the case til this year when there was a retirement, I think.
Also, up until the deployment of the recent flexible district boundaries, Blythe Park was the only elementary school whose student body drew 100 pct from Riverside proper. The other schools draw from neighboring towns in addition to Riverside.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 15:15 # -
Nothing from what I can tell. They all do a good job. In my opinion the difference in test results has more to do with the differences in the demographic makeup of the various schools.
I was somewhat dissappointed with RB's ranking in comparison to some of our peer communities' High Schools. This ranking does not seem to reconcile with Newsweek's much publicized ranking that showed RB in the top five public high schools in Illinois. Perhaps this says something about Newsweek's testing methodology which ranks HS's based on the number of students taking (not passing) AP exams. This metrix can be manipulated and is not necessarily a good barometer of the academic progress being made by our schools.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 15:24 # -
Ok Mike. That is most interesting. I know of people buying in that district just to have their children go to Blythe.
I have been wondering that if more children came to town because of more housing due to development, and if all the schools are full (which they are) would this not require a new school and/or redistricting, and how would that affect the expectations of those who bought in Blythe. Or perhaps it would not impact them at all. What are these recent flexible boundaries?
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 15:25 # -
The flexible boundaries is a district 96 elementary school policy that prescribes set student populations in each grade, and each class section, FOR ALL SCHOOLS in the district. When a class section reaches the set limit, then a new class needs to be created to maintain the population. The students are drawn from all areas of district 96 (except, I believe, Hollywood in brookfield - they did not want the kids crossing 1st av) to populate the class section.
That was also one of the historical differences at blythe compared to other schools - comparatively lower class populations. There was, for example, 17 students in a 4th grade classroom at blythe but 28 at Central school. Central parents were paying the same tax rate as the blythe park parents - to district 96 - but there was a lack of equitability in service.
Common sense as well as a million studies have shown that lower student - teacher ratios is associated with academic achievement.
I believe the flexible boundaries policy has been in place for a few years.
If there is any strain to maintain this, and I have heard that there may be some strain, without being flip, I wonder if the new Delaplaine Crossing could be used for a school.
After all:
a) it seems to not be working so well attracting condo owners (I might be wrong)
b) ms topinka has likened the look of that building to Ames School. I agree with her.Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 16:02 # -
That was a shocking inequity in the student-teacher ratio. No wonder they were "award winning." I can't imagine why anyone put up with that.
Tee-hee. I presume this comparison was not meant as a compliment! And no, you are not wrong. In spite of their efforts to occasionally make it look populated at night, and the placing of SOLD signs in front of units that were not sold, Delaplane at the Train Crossing has a severe lack of buyers; indeed I don't know that it has any. I note that it switched selling realtors some time back.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 16:08 # -
and, on RB:
My experience so far with RB (I have 1 child there for 2.5 yrs) is that the encouragement of taking AP tests, as well as the advanced curriculum in general, creates a good education CULTURE in which students can grow as much as they want and aspire to.
I notice there has been a fine tuning of the AP test taking procedures to increase the odds for success, with the mandating of taking certain remediating programs if needed. I am very impressed with this sort of tinkering. What it means is that the district 208 administration IS THINKING and is caring about the academic well being of all students at RB.
One of the measures that Newsweek looks at, I believe, is CHANGE / IMPROVEMENT. In my experience and observtions there so far, We have an RB staff from the receptionists to the super that seems to care and roll their sleeves up for the kids.
What I like best about RB is the democratic-ness of setting the high academic standard. Unlike magnet schools or other selective schools, each student has the potential to go into the advanced programs at RB - it is up to the student vs how well the student does on some entrance test on some particular day or how much money his or her folks make.
It also has a very good fine arts / music / speech program which is another way of learning and growing, as important as the standard curriculum. Being able to stand in front of a bunch of people and speak, or perform, if you will, is as important a life skill that there is. Your kids, for example, one day in their late 40s, when you are long gone as parent and protector, might have to protect their home from some city who might want to take it.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 16:19 # -
And also in regards to RB in Newsweek, they take into consideration the population of children that are living below the poverty level.
It is easy to see how a Hinsdale Central, or Fenwick would have good numbers. The vast majority of kids there have had all the advantages of educated parents, tutoring, etc. When you take a school like RB, with it's population, and they are managing to achieve excellence, that is impressive.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 16:50 # -
A friend who moved from Riverside to Oak Park is wondering why his property taxes are nearly what they were in Riverside when their public schools are so average and they are supposed to have taxes generated from so many businesses. I suggested as to the schools, he may wish to google Oak Park TIF.
...
"Your kids, for example, one day in their late 40s, when you are long gone as parent and protector, might have to protect their home from some city who might want to take it. "
Indeed.
Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 17:03 #
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