EAST COBB: Walton High School vs. Pope and Lassiter (low income, how much)

[syracusa]

Just a simple question: how much better, REALLY, is Walton High School compared to Lassiter and Pope? What will the main differences in quality boil down to, at the end of a child's 4 year high school education?

Thanks a lot.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by syracusa

Just a simple question: how much better, REALLY, is Walton High School compared to Lassiter and Pope? What will the main differences in quality boil down to, at the end of a child's 4 year high school education?

I would think that the specific child, their interests and abilities, the general involvement of their family in their education, etc., would be larger overall factors in the quality of that child's education.

[RainyRainyDay]

I have a child at Lassiter and I lean to the view that Walton's average test scores are a little bit higher because Walton's demographics are a little bit wealthier.

Some former Walton parents who've posted here have indicated that Walton has a very academically competitive culture, which isn't always comfortable for students who aren't at the very top of the class. My child is in the top 10% in Lassiter and I don't think I'd want her in a more competitive atmosphere than Lassiter provides. But maybe Walton's isn't really any more competitive - I have no direct knowledge for comparison.

My child is in chorus. Walton's chorus teacher and Lassiter's chorus teacher are married to each other. Is there a difference in quality between the choral music education offerings at the two schools? That seems rather unlikely.

We meet Walton students out in the community, and they seem much like teens from the other East Cobb schools. I haven't detected any special aura.

What I'm trying to say is that these are all public schools, located near each other, in the same school district, serving a similar population, with similar results. Walton is a charter school, but I don't see that making a big difference. Some people seem to set great store by the small differences in average test scores between the schools, and if that's your approach, you're going to think Walton is Best. Personally, I think rcsteiner is right. Any difference in results between this group of similar schools is likely to be more about the child than about the school.

[syracusa]

I got it: so no significant difference between the schools themselves.
It will all depend on the child and parental involvement.

I am not really interested in any differences between extra-curricular opportunities, arts, music, sports, you name it. I was just curious about any significant academic differences. Then again, the highly competitive atmosphere of Walton may push the academics a bit higher (?)...I am not sure.

I know Lassiter is great with music and although we intend to start children on an instrument, music will not be their focus in life.
In an ideal world, we would want the best academics we can get, minus some of the scary things I heard about Walton such as drugs, cliques, fashionistas, entitlement attitudes, etc.

However, we are aware we don't live in an ideal world and that we can't have everything (best academics, impeccably raised children with pristine behavior and character, and public - as in "free" -schools. [Not that they are really "free", but that's a different story].

At the same time, I heard that some of the alleged problems of Walton can be generously encountered at Pope and Lassiter as well.

OK then - so we will just focus on the right house.
What attracts us to the Walton area like nothing else is the location itself, not the high school (Johnson Ferry, quick access to good food stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods - which I understand is due to open this year, proximity to the Perimeter area, etc). That's as good of a location as it gets in the suburbs.

Thanks again.

[RainyRainyDay]

syracusa, all of your comments seem very reasonable to me. Good luck on your home search!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by syracusa

I got it: so no significant difference between the schools themselves.
It will all depend on the child and parental involvement.

I am not really interested in any differences between extra-curricular opportunities, arts, music, sports, you name it. I was just curious about any significant academic differences. Then again, the highly competitive atmosphere of Walton may push the academics a bit higher (?)...I am not sure.

I know Lassiter is great with music and although we intend to start children on an instrument, music will not be their focus in life.
In an ideal world, we would want the best academics we can get, minus some of the scary things I heard about Walton such as drugs, cliques, fashionistas, entitlement attitudes, etc.

However, we are aware we don't live in an ideal world and that we can't have everything (best academics, impeccably raised children with pristine behavior and character, and public - as in "free" -schools. [Not that they are really "free", but that's a different story].

At the same time, I heard that some of the alleged problems of Walton can be generously encountered at Pope and Lassiter as well.

OK then - so we will just focus on the right house.
What attracts us to the Walton area like nothing else is the location itself, not the high school (Johnson Ferry, quick access to good food stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods - which I understand is due to open this year, proximity to the Perimeter area, etc). That's as good of a location as it gets in the suburbs.

Thanks again.

The southern third of the Pope district can give you the same convenience you seek as the northern and central part of the Walton district. Keep that in mind.



Take a look:

http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/planning/2010-11AttendanceZones_High.pdf (broken link)

[Khg203]

I know several former Walton teachers and they say that you don't want your child at Walton unless they are exceptional. They feel, as former Walton teachers, that the ordinary kids sort of fall through the cracks at Walton. Ordinary kids have a better chance to excel at Pope and Lassiter. That's not my opinion however as I taught at a different high school/different district.

We live in Pope. I shop at Trader Joes, The Avenue, etc on a weekly basis. It's not far from where I live. I'm probabaly there 3 times a week.

[Stars&StripesForever]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

I have a child at Lassiter and I lean to the view that Walton's average test scores are a little bit higher because Walton's demographics are a little bit wealthier.

Some former Walton parents who've posted here have indicated that Walton has a very academically competitive culture, which isn't always comfortable for students who aren't at the very top of the class. My child is in the top 10% in Lassiter and I don't think I'd want her in a more competitive atmosphere than Lassiter provides. But maybe Walton's isn't really any more competitive - I have no direct knowledge for comparison.

My child is in chorus. Walton's chorus teacher and Lassiter's chorus teacher are married to each other. Is there a difference in quality between the choral music education offerings at the two schools? That seems rather unlikely.

We meet Walton students out in the community, and they seem much like teens from the other East Cobb schools. I haven't detected any special aura.

What I'm trying to say is that these are all public schools, located near each other, in the same school district, serving a similar population, with similar results. Walton is a charter school, but I don't see that making a big difference. Some people seem to set great store by the small differences in average test scores between the schools, and if that's your approach, you're going to think Walton is Best. Personally, I think rcsteiner is right. Any difference in results between this group of similar schools is likely to be more about the child than about the school.

Income does not bring about a more educated child. There is simply a correlation.

Look at it like this.

Most people who make a lot of money generally are wealthy because they are of higher intelligence.

Higher IQ--> Success in school--> Better Jobs/Higher Salary-->Clustering in certain areas--> Effects School-->Higher Test Scores.

IQ is the reason, not income. There is only an income correlation.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by Stars&StripesForever

Income does not bring about a more educated child. There is simply a correlation.

Look at it like this.

Most people who make a lot of money generally are wealthy because they are of higher intelligence.

Higher IQ--> Success in school--> Better Jobs/Higher Salary-->Clustering in certain areas--> Effects School-->Higher Test Scores.

IQ is the reason, not income. There is only an income correlation.

Agreed, of course it's correlation, not cause.

I'd argue, however, that the rich aren't significantly more intelligent than the poor. The important difference is overwhelmingly lifestyle and expectations. Rich kids get exposed to museums, libraries, the beach, the mountains, etc. Their parents talk to them in full sentences with large vocabularies, read to them, etc. etc. etc.

[Stars&StripesForever]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Agreed, of course it's correlation, not cause.

I'd argue, however, that the rich aren't significantly more intelligent than the poor. The important difference is overwhelmingly lifestyle and expectations. Rich kids get exposed to museums, libraries, the beach, the mountains, etc. Their parents talk to them in full sentences with large vocabularies, read to them, etc. etc. etc.

Speaking in full sentences and large vocabularies is a product of being more educated, which is a function of an average higher IQ and being able to grasp concepts of education. Exposure to museums and libraries is a function of a person taking on a culture of education, which is a function, by and large, of a higher IQ.

IQ also relates to why poor people are continuously poor, generation to generation. Of course, it doesn't explain every reason, but it is the main cause, by and large.

Think of it like this:

Low IQ-->Not being able to grasp concepts in school-->acting out in class (compounding the less attainment problem. Less civil culture is also a product of low intelligence, by and large)-->failing classes-->dropping out of school-->Not getting a good job-->Low Income.