During the past month, multiple organizations reported school and district academic rankings at the state and national levels.  I’m competitive by nature, so early in my career I eagerly waited for scores to be released to justify our work and worth.  At times, there was celebration.  Other times, I was frustrated.  Over time, I came to realize two things:

(1) rankings fluctuate from one year to the next, and

(2) rankings use and weight different measures. 

 

Here are some rankings from three sources:

US News & World Report	23 - 24 (Class of 2021)
Oakwood High School	State Ranking: 33 Dayton Area Ranking: 1

 

Ohio’s State Report: Performance Index Score	22 - 23
Oakwood Schools	State Ranking: 12
Oakwood High School	State Ranking: 3
Oakwood Junior High	State Ranking: 2

 

Niche	2024
Best School Districts	Dayton Area Ranking: 1
Best Teachers	State Ranking: 2
Best Places to Teach	State Ranking: 11
Best School Districts	State Ranking: 13

In digging deeper into the methodology for each of the data sets, it’s interesting to see how different each of them are weighted.  

• US News & World Report has a heavy emphasis on Advanced Placement tests.

• The State Report Card’s Performance Index Scores measure our students scoring on the State Tests for Reading, Math, Science and Social Students from grades 3 through high school with weights in five categories: Advanced, Accelerated, Proficient, Basic and Limited.  

• Niche not only weights performance on state and national tests, they also place emphasis on parent, student and teacher surveys based on feedback regarding academics, culture and diversity, resources and facilities, clubs and activities, and athletics. 

With any data set, my goal is to use the data to celebrate our students and staff as well as reflect and inform potential future actions.  I’ve transitioned from being a data-driven leader to a data-informed leader.  While I look to provide the best quality education for our students, I also know responding to one data point can impact our mission or service in providing a well-rounded education to our students.  For example, the US News & World Report rankings weigh Advanced Placement but do not calculate the increasing number of students participating in College Credit Plus courses our students are taking advantage of as they prepare for college and beyond.

It’s also important to keep in mind rankings only tell part of the story, not the whole story.  In my brief time in Oakwood, I’ve already come to appreciate the hard work of our staff in creating opportunities to develop the whole child that’s beyond a test score - fostering curiosity, cultivating a global mindset, igniting a “take action” approach for change, developing resilience, and nurturing connection and collaboration.  

Due to my competitive nature, I will still look at the rankings and review them with our team to diagnose and look for ways to improve in meaningful ways.  I truly look forward to continuing the journey to lead Oakwood Schools in doing what’s best for students.

#OneOakwood