The Fraser Institute has been roundly criticized over the years - including by this newspaper - for ranking schools and pitting them against one another. Annually, the obvious is revealed: Based on standardized testing alone, private schools are at the top and schools that struggle are at the bottom.
The BC Teachers' Federation and many educators argue the rankings don't say anything valuable about what's really going on in the classroom and with children's performance.
But parents can learn something from the annual rankings - that schools where parents are engaged do better than those where parents aren't as engaged because of poverty, culture, isolation or other issues.
Thus, parents can ensure their children's and school's success, no matter where they are, by staying involved.
What the rankings don't show, however, is the adorable YouTube video by the school supposedly at the bottom whose children sing "O Canada" in French, English and Carrier. Anyone interested in education would surely realize that these controversial rankings and the tests that feed them are not the only measure of a school's success.
What do you think?Do you give much credence to the Fraser Institute rankings as a way to judge school performance? Vote in our online poll.
