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Ranking: N.J.'s best schools in wealthiest, northern towns PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
The most successful high schools in New Jersey are in the state's wealthiest towns, according to the latest ranking of top high schools in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September issue.
The annual ranking comes on the heels of a state hearing at which the linking of state aid to poor schools with spending in the wealthiest districts was criticized. That led to a suggestion by state Sen. John Adler, D-Camden, chairman of the committee, that the state consider spending caps on the wealthiest districts.
Representatives of the wealthier suburban districts say that's counterproductive.
“We are concerned that there has been a lot of discussion of funding (by the state committee on school funding), but not a lot about the quality of education,” said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “We shouldn't aspire to lower performance.”
...David Sciarra, director of the Education Law Center, which represents students in 31 poor, urban school districts, said the Legislature has lost sight of why the state Supreme Court's Abbott v. Burke decision linked state spending on the Abbotts to spending in the wealthiest districts.
“It wasn't because of how much they spent. It was because they were the most educationally successful districts,” he said..."
Ranking: N.J.'s best schools in wealthiest, northern towns
By DIANE D'AMICO Education Writer, (609) 272-7241
Published: Saturday, August 26, 2006
The most successful high schools in
The ranking, based on college-preparation criteria, placed most schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and southern Ocean counties in the bottom third of the state's 316 ranked public high schools. Only
The annual ranking comes on the heels of a state hearing at which the linking of state aid to poor schools with spending in the wealthiest districts was criticized. That led to a suggestion by state Sen. John Adler, D-Camden, chairman of the committee, that the state consider spending caps on the wealthiest districts.
Representatives of the wealthier suburban districts say that's counterproductive.
“We are concerned that there has been a lot of discussion of funding (by the state committee on school funding), but not a lot about the quality of education,” said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “We shouldn't aspire to lower performance.”
She said the wealthiest districts don't just spend blindly, and many have defeated their school budgets at the polls. But quality remains a priority, and the magazine rankings recognize the effort.
David Sciarra, director of the
“It wasn't because of how much they spent. It was because they were the most educationally successful districts,” he said.
He said the state has yet to define how much a good education should cost, and until they do, the current standard is the best available measure.
The state identifies schools by so-called District Factor Groups, which ranks them by a variety of socioeconomic factors including income, education and property wealth. The poorest districts are “A” and the wealthiest are “J.” The state Supreme Court said state funding for the poor Abbott districts should be equal to the average spent by the I and J districts.
A speaker at the state hearing estimated that at the current rate, keeping up with I&Js will mean that Abbotts will get 70 percent of all state school aid within the next five to seven years. Adler said he would not support cutting funds to the Abbotts but might support capping the wealthiest districts to control the increases.
Sciarra said the successful districts set the standard for the state and should not be curtailed.
“They are the lighthouse districts,” he said. “They lead the way and set the bar for the state. You don't want to mess with success.”
And while the Abbotts have not yet shown the same level of achievement, many are improving. The top high school in the state is the
Rounding out the top 10 are Tenafly, Millburn,
This year New Jersey Monthly also listed the top 10 high schools in each District Factor Group. Some local schools stood out.
In the CD grouping,
The magazine's rankings used 10 criteria including class size, SAT scores, college attendance and AP tests. Those criteria are heavily weighted toward preparing students for college or other post-secondary education, which is also a goal of the governor and state Department of Education in their efforts to improve the value of the high school diploma.
Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association said the magazine rankings are just one type of indicator, and the impact of the socioeconomic factors can't be ignored in their results.
“The economics of a family play such a role in education,” he said. “ If you look at test results only, wealthier districts traditionally do better. The rankings are interesting, but should be taken with a grain of salt.”
To e-mail Diane D'Amico at The Press:
DDamico@pressofac.com
TO LEARN MORE
For the rankings of southern
The complete listings are online at
www.njmonthly.com
