How much does Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spend at your child's school? How do academic achievement and student-teacher ratios stack up? Find out on the new interactive maps produced by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and MeckEd.
I haven't had time to wade into this data, but my first-blush reaction is that this will be a great resource to parents, taxpayers and people considering a move to Mecklenburg County.
Ironically, even as CMS has embraced "data-driven" as a mantra, it has become harder for people to find basic data about their schools. I 've always found the district's "Data Dashboard" hard to use, and as the communications staff has shrunk, updates can be slow in posting. I created what I considered a user-friendly school guide for our web site, then abandoned it when our own cutbacks made it difficult to keep up. N.C. school report cards are good, but this time of year they're out of date.
So let me know what you think of the new resource. (Full disclosure: Former Observer columnist and blogger Mary Newsom, who's now with the Urban Institute, helped create this.)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Click and compare CMS schools
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36 comments:
Very nice map. It's missing the racial makeup for each school though. A newcomer to CMS might be FOOLED by the passing rate and think the $$ spent make it a better school and move to that section of Charlotte - only to be devistated (such as Rocky River HS, 13% white)- and have to move again
It's interesting that West Meck is one of 10 high schools with the lowest per pupil expenditures, yet has one of the lowest graduation rates and a very high FRL number.
Also, I don't see how NC Report Cards could be anymore outdated than these maps. Latest data for both is 2009/2010.
Who knew you could do something like this. I mean it is almost like www.GreatSchools.net and with the bias of MeckEd and their backing from the Chamber will be a great source for CMS.
I did not find the map to be very helpful. Perhaps it would be more useful if:
1. School attendance boundaries were included.
2. Magnet schools and Title 1 schools were somehow highlighted.
3. The ranges for red/yellow/green were more meaningful in certain categories (see elementary student:teacher ratios, for example)
Also, I think that they got the red/yellow/green color assignment backwards with respect to Per Pupil Expenditures.
Wiley, you're right -- they got their data from the state report cards, which haven't been updated yet (should be later this fall). Rats. Still seems like an interesting presentation, though.
We are moving to the Charlotte area and would like to know what is considered a passing percentage for the state test scores posted on the map.
10:44 www.GreatSchools.net gives you all that when they tell you about the schools and lets you compare schools with each other.
In fact you can compare them with the schools you are coming from and get worried in most cases.
Thanks, Ann, for the props but I didn't really help create it. My researcher colleagues at the UNCC Urban Institute helped create it, with MeckEd folks. I am just helping spread the word to the public.
Ann,
I think the Quick Maps are fine, just noted the same data dates...
Also, does it seem odd to you about the per pupil expenditures at West Meck?
10:44 - go to a private school. Forget CMS.
I am a teacher on the Southeast side.My classes have almost 2.5 times as many students compared to the Westside (15/38). As a parent the money spent per pupil is around $10,000 more.This is a simple fact of taxation without representation.I am all for making efforts to improve the education gap.What happens to a minortiy student that lives in the Southeast Zone?These students are being severely shortchanged.There will come a day and it is rapidly approaching that the white student will become a minority.The election of new leaders that have the fortitude to ask the hard questions and to make the hard choices is desperately needed. In other words, taxation with representation.
Good start but here are a few comments. Align the red color dots with high per pupil expenditures, low academic performance, etc. Thus align the green dots with the other end. The visual point of this exercise is to quickly give the viewer the proper aspect.
Ann that is sort of the point of educrats with using out of date data. When confronted with bad situations, they fall back on "well that was 2 years ago data and there have been changes".
This is the masterful game the educrats play and most media are more than willing to go along with especially the CO.
TROTS...
Explain West Meck per pupil expenditure.
West Meck = Over $10,000 spent per student with an average of 15 per class with marginal results
Anon 8:55...
Look at the map again under per pupil expenditures and West Meck shows up red, indicating the lowest group spent per pupil.
Less tahn $5,000 per pupil.
WC, the data CMS released earlier included those things this number says it excluded. The spreadsheet has $5225 per pupil expenditure and this interactive map shows $4964 per pupil. The 2007-08 per pupil was $6647.
Most of the numbers appear to be in line. What of the data does nto look right to you and I will have a better chance of answering your question.
I am not sure what 8:55 was refering to with the $10k per student. Maybe they will respond back.
TROTS...
Wouldn't West Meck be getting additionla funding due to the high FRL number and low graduation rates?
Also, my comments have been focused on the map generator Ann posted, which shows West Meck under $5,000 in per pupil expenditures.
Hey everybody go to
http://www.wbtv.com/story/15690302/cms-grandparents-playing-a-role-in-education
And see the story about our group and our meeting at JCSU today.
We will be meeting for some research projects tomorrow and have a Member Sign up on Saturday at JCSU during the Homecoming.
But other sign up events will be taking place all over Charlotte and we need a lot more Grandparents to join and volunteer. Our website is getting up to date and is at www.GrandParentsOfAmericaInc.com you will also be able to sign up to become a member.
The difference you can make in a child's life and helping a Parent is all the difference in the World.
If this will help this is the equity report for 2010
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/News/Documents/Equity%20Report_2010_2.pdf
Also this old report from last year.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/07/1962837/cms-per-pupil-spending-high-school.html
WC, for that year, West Meck's EDS was 73%, under the 75% CMS recognizes. The teacher FTE almost matches West Charlotte. West Charlotte's EDS was 79%. The spreadsheet though did show WM was considered a Focus SChool.
But of course you know the "real" reason West Charlotte is kid gloved by CMS. And because of that, the majority of the community and kids will always be expected to be "taken care of".
I am curious too what Project LIFT was supposed to do this year.
TROTS, Larry...
I seemed to have lost both of you.
Forget the links, etc.
Focus on the MeckED maps.
West Meck is a red dot, with Providence, Ardrey Kell, South Meck, Myers Park, North Meck and others, yet one of TWO high schools wih the lowest graduation rates, with the other being West Charlotte. West Charlotte, that is supposedly so bad they have to pump $55 million dollars into it and the feeder schools.
That's why I asked how WM can have one of the lower per pupil expenditures based on the map. The map(s) do not tell the whole story.
DROPOUT FACTORIES – CMS HAS SOME OF AMERICA’S BEST FUNDED.
One of my favorite education terms is “Dropout factories.” This is when 60% or less on the freshman class graduates four years later. That description fits 1 in 10 U.S. high schools or about 1700 high schools. For CMS the ratio is either 1:8 or 1:6.
On this map there are three dropout factories, West Meck and West Charlotte. The third, Waddell was mercifully closed but it is to be seen whether the dispersion of those students to Olympic, South and Harding will drive their graduation rates to new lows. Harding certainly is at risk. Its better students were shipped of to Berry this year.
BUT HERE’S THE GRIPE!
The high school graduation interactive map uses orange to group 60%-79.9% schools. That is too wide a gap. That disguises that there is a fourth borderline dropout factory, Vance at 63.9. No way should Vance be grouped with Olympic at 79.5.
There are 25 high schools on the map. Three were dropout factories in 2009-10. That’s a ratio of 1:8. If you include Vance that’s 1: 6.
Bolyn McClung
NextSuper.com
Pineville
Wiley as I said earlier the maps are from Mecked who took that money from our old super http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/15/2379133/gorman-grant-paid-for-budget-pr.html
and who is has an old CMS person heading it up making sure CMS is looking good.
You would not expect a group supported by the Chamber to do much less?
And do I need to even mention my College and any part they play in pay in Charlotte?
Boylyn then you will love the fact I have www.DropOutFactory.org and have had it since we started working on this back over ten years ago.
I saw this when I started working in the Challenged schools and and when I said that to the people in Raleigh during a meeting.
They said what I said was Beyond Human Dignity over my thirty percent graduation rate for African American Males at some schools. And the Observer made me look bad back then. Oh and the Chamber had a rep come to that meeting and say things were great in Charlotte Schools.
But you know we now have Malcom Gramham who fought us the hardest helping us get Charter schools in these Challenged neighborhoods today as he understands what we were fighting for all along.
Thanks Bolyn...
At least you "got it"...
I didn't include Waddell in my comments because it closed as a high school.
To tag onto your comment, at the time Project LIFT was being swooned over, West Meck and Waddell were neck and neck with the same dismal graduation rates, yet West Charlotte wound up with $55 mil to help those children succeed.
Come on, we all know why West Charlotte feeder area was picked.
As for Project LIFT, you might want to start nosing around on this. I noticed 2 facilities were not put into the bidding for other uses. Despite what was said in a BOE meeting when this initiative was announced, there may be some pressure being exerted for more CMS support of this.
6:43 am, please do move again, maybe Alabama.
These numbers illustrate why many in the community do not trust numbers in relation to CMS. Maybe not cooked books, but is there any chance the public will be able to use such numbers to accurately measure CMS performance. Baffle them with B.S. is as old a tactic as any.
West Meck has one of the lower per pupil expenditures because a large percentage of its teaching staff is young with fewer years of experience and advanced degrees.
Anon 5:29...
So to use your reasoning, Ardrey Kell, Providence and Myers Park also have a young staff and make less money, which makes their per pupil number just as low?
Higher grad rates at Mallard Creek than Providence and Ardrey Kell. Anyone actually believe that the program at MC is even remotely as strenuous at PHS and AK?
I'd certainly want to compare grading processes and SAT scores and college admittance data and shoot, just the course rigor (how many at each taking honors, AP) (is the syllabus for each class and the grading requirements the same at each school).
The pacing guides will say every school is the same and every class is the same....but I think that ought to be proven.
Now, that is not to take credit away from what is going on at Mallard Creek. That school is doing many of the right things and they are showing improvement.
Perhaps a follow-up study of the graduates from those three high schools to determine if the value of the diplomas are the same at each school? Point is, would the 92% of kids who graduated from Mallard Creek have graduated had those kids attended PHS and AK? If yes, then we need to replicate EVERYTHING from MCHS at West Meck, West Charlotte, etc etc etc. And do it NOW!!!!!!
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