SC Cities: Ideal for Young Professionals?

[waccamatt]

So then that should make you think- how are our shcools ranked "officially" and why is that any better than MSNBC's method?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think what it means is that all of these polls are created to create magazine sales, website hits, etc. and should be taken with a grain of salt. Kind of like books such as "Who's Who of American High School Students". Everyone I knew was in the book, lol.

[goodbye]

Yesterday's Greenville News had an article about the two Greenville county schools that recieved recognition as being among the Nation's best public high schools. This should surprise no one living here, even though it may remain questionable to people who don't know better.

Two Greenville High Schools Nationally Honored

[goodbye]

You really should read that article linked above. It not only tells a little about the schools, but also discloses what method was used to come up with the results of this List.

[Matt83USC]

Spartanburg High School (Spartanburg School District #7) was (and still is, as far as I know) the only school in the country (public OR private) to win the National Blue Ribbon Award FOUR times.

[GMoxley]

Spartanburg High School (Spartanburg School District #7) was (and still is, as far as I know) the only school in the country (public OR private) to win the National Blue Ribbon Award FOUR times. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spoken like a true Viking Matt. They kinda brainwashed us with that stat, didn't they?

[krazeeboi]

WHERE 20-SOMETHINIGS ARE MOVING

Well here's some encouraging news. I just ran across this on EPodunk.com. An analysis of data by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that in 1995-2000 they heavily favored Georgia and North Carolina, but South Carolina does come out on the net gains side of the equation. I think that speaks in our favor (although we still have a ways to go).

Also, in the 2004-2005 "Smartest States" rankings, we rank #32 overall. As for other Southern states, Virginia is #12, NC #25, Texas and WV tied at #33, Arkansas #36, Georgia #38, Florida #39, Tennessee #41, Alabama #44, Louisiana #46, and Mississippi #47. While such listings are quite subjective, it doesn't sound too shabby to me.

[krazeeboi]

Agreed. What confuses me is that in that other list, Columbia's schools ranked 9th in the nation, but here they didn't make the top 500- and Greenville's were not on the other list. Weird.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK, I know it's been almost 4 months since the above comment was made, but I found an answer...

Apparently, Newsweek's methodology was too simplistic:

Newsweek's Best High Schools List uses a ratio, the number of Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by all students at a school in 2004, divided by the number of graduating seniors. Although that doesn't tell the whole story about a school, it's one of the best measures available to compare a wide range of students' readiness for higher-level work, which is more crucial than ever in the postindustrial age.

So in the final analysis, what matters is not how many students actually pass the tests, but how many take them! Nor is any other factor of academic achievement taken into consideration.

The over-simplicity of this list was exposed by the staff of the St. Petersburg Times. The #10 ranked school in Newsweek's list, Hillsborough in Tampa, FL, actually received a "D" from the state:

The Newsweek list is based on a single factor: the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school, divided by the number of graduating seniors. The students don't have to do well on the tests either. It matters only that they take them.

Test scores? No.

Graduation rates? Nope.

Closing the achievement gap between whites and minorities? Forget it.

Critics say the formula is simplistic. For example, a school's rank can actually improve if it has a high dropout rate.

There, maybe SC's schools shouldn't feel so bad after all about not making the top ten percentile. But perhaps we DO need to concentrate on pushing AP classes AND making sure students excel in them.

[Spartan]

The number of students taking AP classes is not entriely relevant IMO. I consider myself a moderately intelligent person, and I never took, or wanted to take, an AP course in high school.

[The_sandlapper]

Well that's interesting. So was there any further analysis to expansion management magazine's list of top school districts?

[krazeeboi]

I know we somewhat briefly discussed higher education in SC in this thread. Here's an excerpt from the SC regional economic analysis report I posted in the "Taking our major cities to the next level" thread:

In terms of four-year institutions, South Carolina does indeed have a large number of postsecondary institutions. However, South Carolina, along with Alabama and Arizona, does not have any first-tier undergraduate national universities or liberal arts colleges. It is host to only three national second-tier institutions of higher education -- Clemson, Furman, and Wofford. In contrast, Virginia has three national first-tier higher education institutions (i.e. University of Virginia, William & Marry, Washington & Lee) and four second-tier universities and colleges (i.e. Virginia Tech, Hollins, Randolph Macon Women

[Spartan]

Clemson is pounding away at trying to become a top 20 university, which would give it more clout and probably knock it into the tier 1 category. Of course, I am not 100 percent clear on what makes a school in teir 1, 2, etc. Would anyone mind explaining that?

Where does Carolina stand with regards to this ranking?

[krazeeboi]

In the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of colleges and universities, Carolina ranked 109 of 120 among top national universities. Clemson ranked 78.

[krazeeboi]

"Speak of the Devil"! In the Sunday edition of the state there is an article that talks about a group that is focused on keeping Columbia's young professionals (under 40) from leaving to places like Atlanta, New York, and the likes. I hope they do well which I'm sure they will.

Young Professionals

Well, approximately five months after the seed was planted for this group, it has finally emerged as COR, short for Columbia

[Spartan]

Sound's like Greenville's new group:

PULSE (Professionals United for Leadership and Social Enrichment)

which had its first meeting not long ago and was evidently very successful. No website that I am aware of yet.

[comingtocolumbia]

this organization has now started. I went to the first two meetings and it looks like it will be very effective. I was pleased it was not a networking ordeal but filled with people who care and want to make an impact in Columbia. website is www.ourcor.com

Well, approximately five months after the seed was planted for this group, it has finally emerged as COR, short for Columbia