Not long ago, I read a letter from a angry parent posted on the internet. I sent my children to the public school trusting blindly that they would come out with the skills they need to become productive adults. I now think I made a big mistake. I know other parents who have the same concerns. Their kids get good report cards but don't really seem to be learning.
Good grades reflect real learning only if a school's standards are high.
In truth, it's hard for a parent to know what kind of education their child is getting because most parents aren't experts and almost everything they know about their schools come from the schools themselves. Not surprisingly, almost all of it is favorable. Even the educational accountability reports published by the state are typically given a school-friendly spin. They are like financial reports in a world where no one outside the company can read a balance sheet. Parents and communities need a way to look at their schools that is independent of the perspective presented by the schools themselves.