Why GreatSchools.org is just....OK

My thoughts on this started one day, talking to a mother of three. In waiting for a meeting to begin, we were casually talking about one of her children attending Kindergarten next year in Oakland and I asked her what schools she was considering. She said her home school was Franklin Elementary and when I effused about Franklin's dedicated teaching staff and diverse student population (it is the home of district Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs for children with special needs) she looked at me with cold, accusing eyes.

In all fairness, this used to happen to me a lot when I worked for Oakland Public Schools. People don't necessarily.....um.....appreciate opinions expressed by OUSD personnel. But I was pretty used to it by then, and frankly, I am a fairly effusive person when it comes to East Bay schools - so it will take more than a little non-verbal cue to stop me from talking with someone about their thoughts regarding a school choice.

"Oh," I said with my sweetest expression and most innocent tone (very helpful to have those if you are going to work for Oakland), "you don't like Franklin?"

Slight disdainful sigh detected. "I would NEVER send my child to any school that had less than a 7 on GreatSchools.org." Sniff.

OK...I sighed at this point in the conversation - but I really did try to stifle it. You know, professionally and stuff.

Now, to be clear, I don't have any problem with GreatSchools.org. I have their app on my iPhone. Good information, nice articles (for the most part)...a good tool.

But that is it - it is a simply a tool. A way of getting a little bit of information. Reading some people's opinions. Getting a link to a website or two. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

However, I worry - more than a little - about when people start to use one source of information as an end-all-be-all reference point in making a decision as important as choosing a school. I don't know about you all, but when I have a complex decision to make - I don't just read one article or go to just one website to formulate my opinions...I read what I can get my hands on; I ask different types of people their opinions - I look around, because it is important to me that I make the right decision the first time.

What I wanted to remind that mother of three (very politely) is that when you go to GreatSchools.org (or other websites fueled primarily by user contributions, like Berkeley Parents' Network), you are getting opinions generated by the types of people who voluntarily post to those sites.

Generally, those people:

• Have a strong opinion of some kind - because they have the motivation to take time out of their busy day to post to a website. They forgo spending time with their spouse, their kids, their friends, their Hulu addiction, and the other million things one could do with 30 minutes free time in order to organize their thoughts, write some coherent sentences, and send their thinking off into the electronic world. So...I am guessing these folks aren't super neutral in their feelings about a particular school - or why post?  Participants of these sites seem to be either cheerleaders for a school (PTA presidents anyone?) or HATE the school with a passion. Unfortunately, that leaves a few folks in the middle unaccounted for. 
• Have a computer and some free time. This implies a few things about the posters' socioeconomic status.  GreatSchools and BPN don't necessarily represent the single working moms of the world, the grandmas raising their grandkids, the families that are working hard to make ends meet and stumble into bed at the end of the day.  Fine - but not a diverse population. Maybe their values, experiences, and expectations for a school match yours. Maybe they don't - which leads me to my next point. 
• Are...unknown. The people posting could be thoughtful, knowledgeable, and full of integrity and helpfulness - wanting to post to GreatSchools to support other families in making a really hard decision. Or....they could be nuts. Certifiable. Or anywhere in between. Just saying. 

I appreciate why people turn to GreatSchools. When people are trying to make a decision as complex as choosing a school for their child, I understand why people want to get their information in one place and to distill a school - a complex community - into a simple rating from 1 to 10.  It makes the process seem less overwhelming, less confusing, less unmanageable. 

But it won't help it become less important. 

Author's Note:  Franklin School in Oakland, CA just received an Honorable Mention for Best Public Elementary school in Parents' Press Best of the East Bay 2011. That's the top five, baby. That seems better than a 5 out of 10 on GreatSchools....but I don't know who filled out all those ballots....