Using proficiency tests to measure the overall effectiveness of a school system is still hotly debated. But even Oberlin school administrators, who initially dismissed the test results, now acknowledge that all the college-bound graduates and the merit scholars don't outweigh low test scores. But state officials had a different opinion, and it becomes a very high-stakes opinion when it hits the headlines. If you look at the paper, you'd think we don't prepare anybody for anything. Even beyond the obvious value of providing a stellar education to Oberlin youth, the health of a school district can make or break a community.
Strong schools make it easier to attract residents and businesses.
Although no formal surveys have been done, College President Nancy Schrom Dye suspects that Oberlin's disappointing school district performance affects choices that professors make about where they send their children to school. It used to be that virtually everybody sent their kids to public school here, but we've seen that change in recent years,'' she says.