Schools

As we prepare to move to Dayton this summer, we're researching the schools in the area. We've found several school districts with excellent ratings, high achievement levels, etc. Naturally, we're aiming to find a house in one of those districts (Oakwood, Sugarcreek, Centerville, etc).

And then there are the Dayton city schools.

In the Dayton City school district, only 69% of the elementary and secondary teachers have a BS or higher. That means 31% of the teachers haven't even graduated from college!

Only 60% of 10th graders passed the state graduation test last year. I thought that statistic was terrible, until I noticed that it's up from 33% who passed in the 03-04 school year (the state standard dictates that 75% should pass). In that context, the 60% stat looked impressive... but it's still not a school I'd want my kids to attend.

I'm fortunate enough to have better options. My kids will end up at a really good school, away from the city, where the teachers are educated & qualified and where the other students are high achievers.

But I can't get the thought out of my head that so many other parents, for a variety of reasons, don't have much choice about where they'll live or what school they'll send their kids to. There's got to be a better way to run the schools and teach these kids. The district is clearly making impressive progress, and I understand these things take time, but it's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to teach there, lead there, learn there, or send my kids there...