Stivers, DECA named top schools by U.S. News & World Report
07/12/2009
According to U.S. News & World Report in a study issued Dec. 5, Stivers School for the Arts ranks among America’s best public high schools.
Principal Erin Dooley, who learned of the honor following release of the report, cited several factors she believes contribute the school’s success: the impact of the arts on learning; the increase in AP course offerings; higher expectations; no achievement gap among subgroups; and a sense of community shared by staff, students and school supporters.
“Our arts program provides opportunities for students to be creative, to be expressive, to pursue their passion, and to develop the whole person. That has a major impact on learning,” Dooley said.
Advanced placement courses have played a role in strengthening academic rigor.
“We began more than a decade ago with two AP courses and about nine students enrolled. Today, we offer 11 AP courses and serve about 215 students,” Dooley said. “Most important, we have no achievement gaps among our students on our AP and state achievement tests; ethnicity and gender are not factors. We are very proud to have no gaps in achievement among our subgroups.”
Four of the nation’s best public high schools identified in the report are in Montgomery County, and two of them are part of Dayton Public Schools. Dayton Early College Academy, a district-sponsored charter school developed in partnership with the University of Dayton, also made the list.
Centerville and Oakwood received silver designations, while Stivers and DECA received bronze. No schools in the county received a gold designation.
Criteria used to judge schools include how they serve all students across different ability levels, academic performance as measured by state achievement tests, and the degree to which students are prepared for college as measured through Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses.
The report was produced by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education and data research and analysis business.
- 30 -