Why Silicon Valley Works

Post by geebee » Thu, Nov 06, 2014, 3:54 PM UTC

mathattack wrote: post #250

geebee wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, SF runs a lottery system, so your rent was largely irrelevant until recently (the system is changing to give some preference to people who reside in a school district). That said, you really should investigate SF public schools a bit more. There are a large number of very high performing public schools, as well as some terrible ones. That's actually no different from the 'burbs, it's that if you live in the Gun…

Having a large chance to have your kid land in a poor quality school is reason enough not to live someplace. (Unless you can afford private)

We probably disagree about the extent to which the chance of a bad placement is "large". I have two kids in SFUSD, and I really do believe that if you do your research and create a balanced list of good schools (without focusing on the "trophy" schools, your odds of getting a good school placement reasonably close to home (certainly closer than you'd get with a local school in the burbs) is good. That said, yes, there is a chance you'll be disappointed and need to look for other options, and this simply doesn't happen in well off suburbs, where you can convert a high mortgage payment into a guaranteed spot for your kid in a high performing school.

So even though I disagree with you that the odds of a bad placement is "large" (I'd say it is non-trivial rather than large, but I don't have numbers either) this process appeals more to poor or middle income people than wealthy ones. If you're poor or middle income, you're choosing between no chance of a good school (you can't afford the top districts in the burbs) and a decent chance (SF). For a rich person, you're choosing between a guarantee (burbs) and a decent change (SF). Again, we disagree about "large".

One thing - have you looked at greatschools.net and checked out the number of elementary schools in SF with high test scores? SFUSD a very high performing urban district. It's fine to disagree, but if you haven't done this yet, I really do urge you to review the data before forming your opinion. I think the notion that SF schools are mainly bad is an incorrect myth. There are problems, but the notion that good elementary schools are few and far between is false.

High schools aren't quite as good, but they aren't nearly as bad as people make them out to be (it's not just Lowell - check out the data. Balboa high, in a relatively low income southern part of SF, scores as high as many reasonably good suburban districts).

Middle schools seem to be the weak link right now, though again, please review the data before forming your opinion - the conventional wisdom is almost always more dire than the reality where it comes to sfusd. Middle school is a tricky one - you may notice that the private model rarely splits out 6-8 grades, going with the k-8 model, so the entire approach may be flawed here...

Post by mathattack » Thu, Nov 06, 2014, 5:04 PM UTC

geebee wrote: post #251

mathattack wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having a large chance to have your kid land in a poor quality school is reason enough not to live someplace. (Unless you can afford private)

We probably disagree about the extent to which the chance of a bad placement is "large". I have two kids in SFUSD, and I really do believe that if you do your research and create a balanced list of good schools (without focusing on the "trophy" schools, your odds of getting a good school placement reasonably close to home (certainly closer than you'd get with a local school in the burbs) is good. That said, yes, ther…

My comments and data are more on NYC. (I moved to Silicon Valley in part based on the terrible public schools in NYC, and picked my new location based on zoning)

The school I was zoned for had ~90% of the kids failing the state math and reading exams, with ~50% getting the poorest scores possible. When I publicly questioned the education department officials, they said, "The tests might not be measuring the learning that's occurring." I applied to 20 non-charter public schools, and we didn't get into any. I applied to 20 gifted and talented programs, and 40 charter schools as well. It's insanity.

To the point of SF... There is a very high switching cost whether you buy or rent. If you move somewhere and don't get into the right school, there are costs ($ and hassle) for changing your mind a year later. This is why people lock in.

And I'll throw out the question - why shouldn't the majority of the schools in large cities be good? It's not easy making it happen, but the awful quality is a societal failure.

Re: Why Silicon Valley Works

Re: Why Silicon Valley Works