Parents in two states finally have the information they need to evaluate their school systems, thanks to the analytical skills of Standard & Poor's and the willingness of Gov. John Engler and ex-Gov. Tom Ridge to open their books. The School Evaluation Services (SES) division of S&P has posted comprehensive online reports about each school district in Michigan and Pennsylvania, charting some 1500 education and financial variables under six broad headings (including student results, the learning environment (class size and staffing), spending, and demographics). The reports describe each district's strengths and weaknesses and compare it to state averages and peer districts (so you can see that high-spending Colonial School District (PA) is achieving only modest results, for instance, or that Ann Arbor (MI) has an "achievement gap" more than three times the state average). "SES is beginning to change the balance of power in America's public-school systems," writes Pete du Pont of The Wall Street Journal; for the first time, a nonpartisan company with no connection to the education establishment has undertaken an objective analysis of school systems. To see for yourself, surf to www.ses.standardandpoors.com or read "Class Consciousness," by Pete du Pont, The Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2001 (available only to subscribers) or "In a Financial Analysis, Philadelphia Schools Fare Poorly," by Dale Mezzacappa, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 5, 2001 (available for a fee at http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/home/).
