Anonymous wrote:

As for the 'eyes wide open' STA parent, I'm a little surprised you would 'definitely' be pulling your son out of a school based on incomplete information posted on an anonymous parent's site. I would at least ask to speak to the administration about your concerns.

I'm not saying the information isn't relevent. It is. But I also think the posters (or single poster) who are hell bent on destroying the luster of St. Albans have their own agenda. I appreciate when test scores/NMSF percentages/college exmissions informtion is posted. I could do without the hifalutin language disparaging STA parents, though (a la Toney Marboro Man). Everyone is trying to find the right school for their kid. So when someone goes beyond presenting information to the point of denegrating anyone who foolishly chose St. Albans, I am likely to think their opinions are a little suspect. In the end, if your kid is not doing well at the school or if you feel your kid is not being challenged sufficiently, of course you should examine other schools. But I wouldn't pull a kid out of a school because a couple of other schools have finer stats. I guess I expect what is important is how my kid does in the environment, not just how the group does. My kid has a verbal/debating/history/geography bent. He's fine in math and science, but he would be like a fish out of water in TJ. I feel like I have him in the right place (St. Albans).

The remarks of a true diehard entitlement baby that can't fathom there are other opinions and facts besides their own. Differing opinions are neither disparaging nor denegrating. If I were the STA parent you are addressing I would be insulted by your presumptions.

Anonymous wrote:What is particularly sad about this thread is the tone! Obviously, the statistical information is useful but I should suggest it is not and should not be determinative. Hopefully, there is more to education than stats. Moreover, scoring well on tests bears little resemblance to hopefully other more relevant characteristics such as judgment and values. By focusing so much on these sorts of stats only creates a sense that one really is among the best and brightests. I hope we can appreciate that that arrogance only creates its own issues. Let's just look at the Harvard MBAs and MIT PhDs on Wall Street who almost destroyed our economy. No doubt, they scored well on their PSATs, and we know their arrogance and belief that they had it all figured out are substantially responsible for our current economic situation.

Anonymous wrote:What is particularly sad about this thread is the tone! Obviously, the statistical information is useful but I should suggest it is not and should not be determinative. Hopefully, there is more to education than stats. Moreover, scoring well on tests bears little resemblance to hopefully other more relevant characteristics such as judgment and values. By focusing so much on these sorts of stats only creates a sense that one really is among the best and brightests. I hope we can appreciate that that arrogance only creates its own issues. Let's just look at the Harvard MBAs and MIT PhDs on Wall Street who almost destroyed our economy. No doubt, they scored well on their PSATs, and we know their arrogance and belief that they had it all figured out are substantially responsible for our current economic situation.