One Community, Two Schools, Two Outcomes

The United States is blessed with a huge number of schools, but not all students will leave their schools with a good education. That road to education is filled with any number of variables, and it's wise of compare schools and their success rates, especially when those schools are in the same or similar neighborhoods. Miriam Jordan writes in today's Wall Street Journal about one of those comparisons. She traces the divergent high school experiences of two students, both from the same poor Hispanic neighborhood in Oklahoma City. One student is bound for the University of Oklahoma; the other has no plans for the immediate future. The big difference in the lives of these students is the high school they attended. This article leaves no doubt that a few wise choices in any community school system can just about guarantee a positive outcome for students.