Good measures for good schools: At-a-glance - Center for Public Education

How good are your schools? What questions should you be asking to find out? Good measures for good schools is a practical guide to key measures of school quality that will help you evaluate your schools. We identify 28 of these measures in seven categories that combine to form a full picture of school quality. These categories are:

Student achievement
Student graduation and beyond
School resources, staffing
School resources, funding
School resources, programs and facilities
District and school climate
School demographics

What does this tool do?

Good measures for good schools provides the national average performance for each measure, and links you to comparable state data where you can see how your state performs. On some measures, we also link you to web pages that offer data for your district and school. By clicking below on each question you should be asking, you can learn more about the usefulness and limitations of every measure and get easy-to-understand tips for how to interpret the data. When possible, the measures are linked to relevant research, analyses, and success stories on the Center site so you can find the best thinking on what to do to improve school performance.

Where do these measures come from?

The measures featured in good measures for good schools were selected for easy access to national and comparable state data. But in some areas, you may be able to find local data that tells you more about your schools. That's why we also offer key questions for each measure—to give you ideas for other data to look for and how to use it. You'll want to check back frequently since we'll be making updates as new information and data become available.

At-a-glance

Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
Student achievement	How do students in our state compare nationally?	According to 2007 NAEP math 39% of 4th graders are proficient in math 32% of 8th graders are proficient in math According to 2007 NAEP reading 33% of 4th graders are proficient in reading 31% of 8th graders are proficient in reading back to top
Student achievement	How do our schools compare to other schools within the state?	State test scores: SchoolDataDirect website National data unavailable back to top
Student achievement	Are our schools meeting state performance standards?	Adequate Yearly Progress designation: SchoolDataDirect website National data unavailable back to top
Student achievement	Are our students ready for college?	The 2007 SAT national average (out of a possible 800) College Bound Seniors (2006) Reading: 503 Math: 518 Writing 497 The 2007 ACT national average scores (out of a possible 36) National Scores English: 20.7 Math: 21.0 Reading: 21.5 Science: 21.0 Composite: 21.2 back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
Student graduation and beyond	What courses do our students need to complete in order to graduate from high school?	High school graduation requirements according to Achieve: Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state) 40 states require four years of English 13 states require four years of math 2 states require four years of science back to top
Student graduation and beyond	Are our students graduating from high school?	The estimated percent of the class of 2003–2004 who earned at least a standard diploma in four years: CPI data 69.9% of all students 49.3% of American Indian/Alaska Native 80.2% of Asian/Pacific Islander 53.4% of African American 57.8% of Hispanic 76.2% of White back to top
Student graduation and beyond	How many of our students ultimately receive a high school credential?	Percent of 18–24 year olds with a high school diploma or its equivalent: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) 74.7% (U.S. Census 2000) back to top
Student graduation and beyond	Are our students enrolling in college?	Chance for college: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) 38% of 9th graders enroll in college by age 19 back to top
Student graduation and beyond	How are our high school graduates performing in college and the workplace?	First-year retention rate of college students 2005: NCHEMS first-year college retention rates 77.4% for full-time students 46.1% for part-time students back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
School resources, staffing	What is our average class size?	The number of students per teacher in 2006: SchoolDataDirect 15.6 to 1 back to top
School resources, staffing	Is each one of our teachers knowledgeable in the subject they teach?	Percent of middle- and high-school classes in core subjects taught by teachers lacking at least a minor in the field: The 2002 Education Trust report, All Talk, No Action: Putting an End to Out-of-Field Teaching Out of field teaching by school population: 24% in all middle- and high-schools 34% in high-poverty schools (more than 50%) 19% in low-poverty schools (less than 15%) 20% in high-minority schools (more than 50%) 21% in low-minority schools (less than 15%) back to top
School resources, staffing	Is there data on the number of teachers highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)?	Percent of teachers given waivers or emergency certificates: U.S. Department of Education, Secretary of Education's report on teacher quality Percent of teachers teaching on a waiver in 2004–2005: 2.5% of all teachers 3.0% of teachers in high-poverty districts 2.1% of teachers in all other districts back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
School resources, funding	What are our school district's expenditures?	Total school district expenditures per student 2005: SchoolDataDirect National average expenditures: $9,881 per pupil back to top
School resources, funding	How much money does our school district receive from federal, state, and local sources?	Total revenue per student in 2005: SchoolDataDirect National total revenues: $9,926 per student 43% from local government 47% from state government 9% from the federal government back to top
School resources, funding	Is our school funding equitable?	Funding gap between low-poverty and high-poverty schools: The Education Trust Funding Gaps 2007 States spend on average $938 less per student in high-poverty districts than students in low-poverty ones. back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/Nationl data (click on data source to find your state's data)
School resources, programs and facilities	What percent of our children are enrolled in pre-kindergarten?	Percent of 3 and 4 year-olds in state-funded pre-kindergarten in 2005–2006: NIEER State of Preschool report 11.5% of all 3 and 4-year-olds back to top
School resources, programs and facilities	Do our students have access to technology?	Student to computer ratio: Education Week Technology Counts 3.8 students per instructional computer back to top
School resources, programs and facilities	Do our students have access to rigorous high school courses and curricula?	Percent of students in the class of 2007 who took an Advanced Placement (AP) Exam: College Board Basic state-by-state test-taker information 24.9% of high school seniors took at least one AP exam back to top
School resources, programs and facilities	Are our school classrooms and facilities adequate and up-to-date?	Percent of schools that routinely use common areas for instructional purposes to accommodate an overflow of students: 2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS): Facilities Overflow, Facilities Overflow by Income Level 19% of schools nationally back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
District and school climate	Do our students feel safe at school?	Percent of high school students who did not go to school because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school: Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2005 Students who missed school in the last 30 days because they did not feel safe 6% of all students 8.7% of African American students 10.2% of Hispanic students 4.4% of white students back to top
District and school climate	How large are our schools?	Percent of students in high schools with 900 or fewer students: Education Week 2006 Quality Counts 29% of high school students back to top
District and school climate	Is student attendance an issue?	Percent of teachers who report that student absenteeism is a moderate or serious problem, 2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS): Attendance, Attendance by Poverty Level 45% of teachers back to top
District and school climate	Is student discipline an issue?	The number of students expelled from school: U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights results of the 2004 survey 106,222 students were expelled from school in the 2003–2004 school year. Of these students: 35% were African American 2% were Asian 20% were Hispanic 2% were Native American 42% were White back to top
Category	Questions you should be asking (click on question to learn more)	Measure/National data (click on data source to find your state's data)
School demographics	How many students attend our schools?	Total enrollment in 2006: SchoolDataDirect website 49,676,964 back to top
School demographics	What is the poverty level of our schools?	Percent of students on free- and -reduced price lunch in 2006: SchoolDataDirect website 40.9% of K–12 students back to top
School demographics	What is the racial and ethnic makeup of our schools?	Percent of students who are white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American in 2006: SchoolDataDirect website 55.9% White 16.9% Black 20.5% Hispanic 4.5% Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2% American Indian/Alaska Native back to top
School demographics	How many English language learners are in our schools?	Percent of students who were English-language learners in 2006: SchoolDataDirect website 8.5% of K–12 students back to top
School demographics	How many students with disabilities are in our schools?	Percent of students with disabilities in 2006: SchoolDataDirect website 13.6% of K–12 students back to top