On the Same Page

The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

On the Same Page

May 2004

Unexpected Recognition is only a Slice of the Pie

The Wall Street Journal bestowed unexpected recognition to University High School on April 2, 2004. A feature titled, "The Price of Admission," identified sixty-five American high schools, public and independent, whose graduates from the class of 2003 included at least twenty students attending one of ten selective colleges identified by the Journal. For each of the high schools, the percentage of students going to those colleges was reported, as was the cost of tuition for each of the independent schools.

Using this data, University High School compared very well, with 23 percent of our graduates attending at least one of these select colleges and with a much lower than average tuition of $16,125. As a result, we were designated by the Journal as one of ten schools giving the best "bang for the buck."

My reaction to this recognition is mixed. Let me say up front that I would much prefer being part of a recognized school than one that was not. That preference is, in large part, due to the amount of time it would have taken to defend the quality of both the school and students who may have chosen some place other than the WSJ's top ten. I can only imagine the nature of some of the communications that took place at outstanding high schools not making the list during the days following publication of this article.

School quality is much more complex than one measure conducted by the media to determine if the "price of admission" is worth the sacrifice of families paying for tuition or moving to a school district with a reputation for excellence. Not any of the ten identified institutions of higher learning, including the University of Chicago, may be the right place for even the most academically capable of our students.

Is it less important for a student to choose a smaller school such as Amherst, Wesleyan, or Swarthmore? Is it less important for a student to choose an honors program at a highly regarded state institution? Should we steer talented students away from applying to specialty programs including Julliard, the Air Force Academy, Cal Tech, or MIT? I think not!

It is my contention that a school interested in maintaining or improving quality should not rely exclusively upon external comparisons but, instead, actively measure itself using agreed upon internal quality indicators. Every organization has its idiosyncrasies and areas needing improvement, and the Lab Schools are no exception. In recognition of that reality, the All-Schools Council has been working this year on establishing "Quality Indicators" and using data generated during the 2003-2004 school year as our baseline.

By the end of this school year, we hope to establish a limited set of variables believed to be important to our future and, for at least the next several years, measure our improvements. Those variables are likely to include issues related to curriculum, technology, communication, staff development, finance, and school climate.

The Lab Schools have earned a well-deserved reputation throughout the world. Recognition from the outside can capture only a small glimpse of what makes this place special. It is the daily work in the classroom by many unsung heroes, past and present, who have shaped our reputation, and it is a privilege for this new guy to be part of a place that is not content to rest on its laurels.

David W. Magill
Director