I think it was here finding a good private school:

http://process999.wordpress.com/

also zero

Greatschools doesn't typically have a numerical rating for private schools because the numerical rating is based on state test scores and private schools do not take state exams. For the parent/teacher/student reviews, I consider it being akin to an amazon review--like a pp said--take with a grain of salt, and you need at least twenty or so reviews before it becomes a representative sample. What I think it is a phenomenal resource for is looking up test scores (for public schools), neighborhoods, racial and socioeconomic demographics, student teacher ratio, and other numerical data that might be informative. Of course, you can find this info elsewhere, but it's nice to have it all consolidated in an easy to navigate site.

Would you mind posting a link to the bog? I googled it but didn't find it.

I was reading a local blog: Selecting an Private School: A Teacher's Perspective. it was researched and cited.

Did anyone see it? This week it was about curriculum and went into great detail about mapping, objectives and outcomes. It specifically mentioned St. Andrew's, Maret and Visitation as good schools with strong curriculum development and implementation programs. I did not read last week's post, but is was about capital spending and selecting a private school. . .it looks helpful. . .

I know Heads at private school that get their favorite parents to post good things to up the ratings. I have been ask to do that. I also know how many students are in the special population count when tested so their scores are not part of the average to make the scores look better than they are. Ask if you can see the scores for the school. And make sure they tell you how many students are not included in the numbers.

I do not trust the reviews on great schools.org as they seem to have a habit of deleting negative reviews without just cause or notice to the poster. The site is not a trustworthy source for honest reviews.

People rate them and give them star ratings. It's subjective.

Anonymous wrote:You do realize the score is based on standardized testing not on the comments. Greatschools is a really good site to figure out the demographics and poverty of a school and in turn determine the how good a neighborhood is.

What about for K-2 publics, preschools, and private schools? How do they come up with those star ratings?

I don't discount posts on either extreme. I think they all have their merits. If some love the school I make note of why. People may disagree (like the teachers or dislike them, but maybe different teachers, so English vs. math for instance, and that gives me info). The people who love the school may love the facilities, and the people who hate it might have issues with the admin, rules, or specific areas of the curriculum. I learn things I can ask questions about. Also, things that some bother some people don't bother others. For instance, if your DC plays a lot of sports, it will bug you if the school doesn't have a strong sports program. My DC is tiny and would rather read a book. He has two left feet. I want him in PE, but he is never making varsity anything, so lax means nothing to us. I def want a nurse at the school though. That's a dealbreaker. I don't want DC delivering a message to the office and walking past a child vomiting, who is waiting for someone to pick him up. GreatSchools is good for that.

I find the comments to be a data point, in the same way that I do DCUM but certainly not something incredibly meaningful and enough to base a decision on. By themselves they mean nothing, but can provide reasons to dig a little deeper on a particular issue. For example, how else would you know if a school had 3 headmasters in the last 5yrs?

You do realize the score is based on standardized testing not on the comments. Greatschools is a really good site to figure out the demographics and poverty of a school and in turn determine the how good a neighborhood is.

The same person can't post multiple times so you know each post is from someone different. Let me clarify that. If you post and then repost, your previous post is deleted and updated with your newer post.

I think that a school can live on its reputation for a lot longer than may be warranted. Things can change in a year or two, and a reputation lasts longer than that. I also think that there are trends in schools that you don't learn as part of a school's reputation (like teachers leaving or policy changes or run down facilities). GreatSchools is good for that kind of information.

Like DCUM, people can post anything they choose to so just as I do with DCUM, i throw out the super glowing and the obvious hater posts.

bump