But entrance tests aren't widely given in public high schools. U.S. News identified and analyzed the schools with selective admissions participating in its study and found, somewhat surprisingly, that selective admissions didn't have much influence on which schools met our criteria for being outstanding. Though we believe this is among the most comprehensive and fairest studies of school performance that has ever been done, there are, nonetheless, limitations to statistical portraits of schools. Statistics can't easily grasp the culture of schools, much less whether one atmosphere or another is right for a particular student. We did get a substantial response from independent schools in the Chicago area, and we focused a story on the admirable leadership of Principal Shoshanah Bechhofer of the Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School .
Policy debates .
The analysis suggests, for example, that school size isn't necessarily an important factor in student achievement. Smaller schools, it seems, can be quite effective in exploiting an intimate environment. Conversely, large schools can often use their greater resources to offer a wider range of advanced courses. On another issue, the presence of computers in schools does not in itself guarantee good academic results. Other research argues that what matters is how computers are used in classrooms.