Best southwest or southern suburb for a young family (Homewood: neighborhood, high school)

[allen2323]

Chuckity, when are you going to face up to the fact that african americans and hispanics score much lower on those stupid standardized test? This test score gap thing cuts across all class lines you know and has nothing to do with anything else. You can measure academic decline of a school by test scores only if an area hasn't racially changed. For example if HF always had the same number of minorities attending which it hasn't. Or if an all white high school always had an all white student body. I did not score very well on those test either when I was in high school. But of course just like with whites, affluent african american students score better on the test then low income african american students.

[ablum]

Aren't the schools in homewood better than the schools in orland park? My wife seems to think so. But she graduated from hf.

[ajolotl]

Originally Posted by ablum

Aren't the schools in homewood better than the schools in orland park? My wife seems to think so. But she graduated from hf.

The problem is that it's hard to quantify what makes a school good. Anyone can read test scores. Some on this forum collect and recite them like divine wisdom. The truth is obviously far more nuanced. For example I went to essentially a three-class public school long ago. The top tier was phenomenal. We co-existed with a lot of average students as well as many remedial ones. No idea what the average test scores were (probably not great) but the quality of teachers and our reputation nationally in math and science was off the charts. Other people will also grade a school lower the more black it is, in part because it has lower test scores but also because it just feels like its unraveling and heading downhill (given history of white flight and general discomfort with racial mixing).

One thing that does seem true though is that H-F is getting worse. Wherever it is in an absolute sense, I agree that this isn't a good sign.

[allen2323]

The short answer is yes. Schools in homewood and flossmoor are better overall than schools in orland park if you compare the test scores fairly among racial lines. And the test scores for african american students in the homewood and flossmoor school disticts Make Adequate yearly progress at a higher rate than african american students in any other public school district in the entire chicagoland area. The Schools in olympia fields and Matteson have also made big improvements. The black students at arcadia elementary in olympia fields (which is the only racial category reported since the school is over 90 percent black) are passing AYP at a higher rate than most students in grade schools in orland park. Arcadia elementary in olympia fields was awarded the blue ribbon award last year.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by allen2323

if you compare the test scores fairly

What is that supposed to mean?

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

What is that supposed to mean?

Meaning if you compare the white students test scores in orland park to the white students test scores in homewood and flossmoor. Also if you compare the test scores of the black students attending homewood and flossmoor schools to black students anywhere else in the entire chicagoland area.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by ablum

Aren't the schools in homewood better than the schools in orland park? My wife seems to think so. But she graduated from hf.

well ablum, according to greatschools.org, no they are not. And according to STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES, they are not. But if we are being subjective instead of OBJECTIVE, then Homewood is the best school in Illinois because...well, allen lives by it, so it is immune to anything neative

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

well ablum, according to greatschools.org, no they are not. And according to STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES, they are not. But if we are being subjective instead of OBJECTIVE, then Homewood is the best school in Illinois because...well, allen lives by it, so it is immune to anything neative

Greatschools.org? That's what you call objective? How about the actual illinois department of eduaction AYP results?

Carl Sanberg high school in Orland Park

Illinois Interactive Report Card


Homewood-flossmoor high school

Illinois Interactive Report Card



Compare the grade schools yourself:


Flossmoor:
Illinois Interactive Report Card

Homewood:
Illinois Interactive Report Card

olympia fields:

http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.asp...elds&type=CITY


Matteson:

http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.asp...eson&type=CITY


Orland park:
Illinois Interactive Report Card

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by allen2323

Greatschools.org? That's what you call objective? How about the actual illinois department of eduaction AYP results?

Carl Sanberg high school in Orland Park

Illinois Interactive Report Card


Homewood-flossmoor high school

Illinois Interactive Report Card

Just curious, what kind of math are you using? Sandburg's numbers are better.

You should have quit while you were ahead a few weeks ago.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

Just curious, what kind of math are you using? Sandburg's numbers are better.

You should have quit while you were ahead a few weeks ago.

Carl sandberg aka Orland park whites meeting or exceeding:

Reading: 71.9

Math: 72.4


Homewood-Flossmoor whites meeting or exceeding:

Reading: 78.8

Math: 82.8


Homewood-Flossmoor blacks meeting or exceeding:

Reading: 57.5

Math: 48.3

Note: Blacks at homewood-flossmoor high shool made AYP at a higher rate than any other public open enrollment high school in the entire chicagoland area. And maybe the entire state of illinois.