Attention News Editors:
Report Card shows top 30 Alberta high schools include public, private, large, small, urban, and rural
CALGARY, June 10 /CNW/ - The 30 best performing high schools in Alberta
are a diverse lot and include a mix of public, private, large, small, urban,
and rural schools, according to the Report Card on Alberta's High Schools:
2007 Edition, released today by independent research organization The Fraser
Institute.
"This year's Report Card clearly shows that a successful school doesn't
have to be privately operated with no ESL or special needs kids, located in a
wealthy neighborhood or suburb of a big city, or filled with students whose
well-educated parents have an income exceeding $100,000," said Peter Cowley,
the Institute's Director of School Performance Studies and co-author of the
report card.
"The 30 high schools this year show that many of the commonly perceived
barriers to success can be overcome."
Cowley will be in Calgary and available for media interviews Sunday,
June 10 and Monday June 11.
The Report Card on Alberta's High Schools: 2007 Edition rates 276 public,
private, separate, francophone, and charter high schools from across Alberta
based on eight key indicators derived from grade-to-grade transition data and
Grade-12 province-wide exams administered by Alberta Education. The indicators
are: the average diploma examination mark; percentage of diploma examinations
failed; difference between the school mark and examination mark in diploma
courses; difference in performance between male and female students in English
30-1; difference in performance between male and female students in Pure
Mathematics 30; diploma courses taken per student; diploma completion rate;
and delayed advancement rate.
The Report Card also provides background information on the individual
and family characteristics of each school's students. It reports the
percentage of ESL, special needs, and French immersion students at the school
and an estimate of the average number of years of education of the students'
parents.
This annual report compiles data from these indicators into easily read
tables that allow anyone to analyze and compare the performance of individual
schools. Parents can use the report card when they are choosing a school and
as an annual audit of how their child's school is doing academically.
"The detailed tables show how the school has done over several years.
Looking at this historical data - rather than just this year's rank - provides
a better idea of how the school is likely to perform in the future," Cowley
said.
"The report also allows teachers and administrators to compare the
results for their schools with those of other schools whose students have
similar personal or family characteristics. Seeing how other schools have been
successful at overcoming challenges can make a useful contribution to each
school's on-going improvement efforts."
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Top-ranked Alberta High Schools
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1 Old Scona Edmonton
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1 Tempo Edmonton
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1 Webber Academy Calgary
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4 Airdrie Koinonia Christian Airdrie
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5 Rundle College Calgary
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6 West Island College Calgary
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7 Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Okotoks
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8 Western Canada Calgary
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8 Archbishop MacDonald Edmonton
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10 Foremost Foremost
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10 Vauxhall Vauxhall
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12 Bawlf Bawlf
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12 Springbank Calgary
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12 Daysland Daysland
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15 Olds Koinonia Christian Olds
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16 Senator Gershaw Bow Island
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17 William Aberhart Calgary
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17 Bearshaw Christian Calgary
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19 Sir Winston Churchill Calgary
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19 Cochrane Cochrane
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19 Magrath Magrath
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22 John G. Diefenbaker Calgary
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22 Edmonton Christian Edmonton
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22 Immanuel Christian Lethbridge
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25 Sainte Marguerite d'Youville St. Albert
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25 Calvin Christian Monarch
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25 Eagle Butte Dunmore
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25 Blessed Sacrament Wainwright
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25 Banff Banff
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25 Parkland Immanual Christian Edmonton
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>>
The complete report card, including detailed results on all 276 schools,
is available at www.fraserinstitute.ca.
The Fraser Institute is an independent research and educational
organization based in Canada. Its mission is to measure, study, and
communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on
the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute's independence, it does
not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit
www.fraserinstitute.ca
For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Cowley, Director of School
Performance Studies, will be in Calgary and available for media interviews
Sunday, June 10 and Monday June 11; To contact him, call: (604) 789-0475,
Email: peterc@fraserinstitute.ca; Dean Pelkey, Associate Director of
Communications, The Fraser Institute, Tel: (604) 714-4582, Email
deanp@fraserinstitute.ca
