What Makes a Particular K-12 School “Good”?

A frequently used term that is rarely properly defined

I thought that this piece would be appropriate, following my recommendations regarding the federal DOEd…

I often hear the phrase “Good School” bandied about, like: “I want my child to get out of this inner-city school, and attend a good school in the suburbs.” As a national K-12 education expert, I have a great deal of interest in that significant terminology — as it is of extreme importance not only to the success of students, but also to our survival as a country.

As such I often quiz parents, teachers, citizens, legislators, etc. about exactly what they mean when they say such-and-such is a “Good School.” Not surprisingly the responses are all over the map. Here are the most common answers I’ve received when I ask what makes a particular K-12 school “Good”? —

Competent teachers

Committed teachers

Good administrative communication

A high level of parental involvement

Parents are paid attention to

Students get above-average grades

Students get above-average statewide/national test scores

Well-behaved students

Cultural diversity in the student body

Good programs for developmentally challenged students

Located in a safe neighborhood

Well-maintained buildings

State-of-the-art lab and other facilities

Successful sports teams

Diverse extra-curricular activities

Etc, etc.

Yes, ALL those things are desirable — but are any of these (or a combination of these) what definitively indicates that students in a school are getting an appropriate quality education? I don't think so!

What a Good School is NOT —

To answer what makes a school “Good,” we have to be crystal clear about the primary PURPOSE of a K-12 school. Let’s start with what the school’s main purpose is not:

It is not there to babysit children.

It is not there to give students a diploma.

It is not there to put some students on the path of an athletic career.

It is not there to provide employment to teachers, administrators, librarians, bus drivers, etc.

It is not there be a magnet to upgrade the quality of a neighborhood.

etc., etc.

The Purpose of K-12 Schools —

We start with an obvious assumption: that any competent school will properly teach ALL children the basics — the fundamental 3Rs.

That understood, the #1 benchmark of a “Good” school is that it assures parents that graduates will be Critical Thinkers. It’s as simple as this: If that essential skill is not properly instilled, the school is a failure.

Yes, other important secondary attributes should be taught: social skills, good communication, responsibility, resourcefulness, an interest in learning, etc.

However, if ALL those secondary matters are instilled, but graduating students are not Critical Thinkers, the school should be considered a failure.

Some may say that this is a harsh assessment. However, if you consider the dredges our K-12 school system is mired in, plus the profound consequences to America when these non-Critical Thinking graduates become left-leaning propagandized, compliant, VOTING CITIZENS, this is our only viable life raft.

What makes this situation even more dire is that we are about to be engulfed in a tsunami wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Anyone who is not a Critical Thinker will quickly and easily be buried with indoctrination, never to be disgorged.

For our individual and collective survival, we simply MUST prioritize properly instilling Critical Thinking skills into our children — and the subject area of K-12 Science is the proven best opportunity to do so.

Under no circumstances, should any school that does not adequately do this be considered “Good.” The reality is, they are a failure.

A Litmus Test —

Parents will say: how do I separate the wheat from the chaff and accurately determine if my child is going to a truly Good School? Most schools are advertising about the items in the initial list above, hoping that parents are distracted by shiny objects. For those who want to get to the core of the matter — a sound education — here are four simple recommendations to reveal what’s really going on:

1 - Carefully read the school’s mission statement and website.

Good Schools proudly and unequivocally communicate that they are teaching students to be Critical Thinkers. Sometimes educators use two alternatives to say the same thing: a) that they teach using the Socratic Method, or b) that they are providing a Classical education. If your school’s statements regarding all of these are missing, vague, or generic, that’s a major red flag.

2 - Ask when and how Critical Thinking is taught.

Good Schools utilize Critical Thinking in ALL subject areas, but specifically teach this important life skill in Science — and the earlier the better. If their answer here is ambiguous, that’s a major red flag.

3 - Ask if the school uses the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for their Science classes.

Good Schools do NOT use the NGSS for their Science classes. If they do, that’s a major red flag. [As explained here, two of ten reasons against the NGSS are: a) it teaches the opposite of Critical Thinking, and b) it has ditched the traditional Scientific Method!]

4 - Ask what the school’s position is on CRT, DEI, SEL, etc.

Good Schools will unabashedly say that they do not support or teach any of those Marxist ideologies. If any of these are being communicated in your school, that’s a major red flag.

Putting this in Perspective —

So how many “Good” US K-12 schools are there? Countrywide less than 5% make the grade. If we exclude private schools, less than 1% of US public schools legitimately qualify to be called “Good.”

None of this is an accident, as over the last 50± years, the Left has aggressively infiltrated the curricula of US K-12 schools — with little meaningful resistance. Their very successful two-part plan has been to:

1 - switch the emphasis of K-12 education from HOW to think to WHAT to think, and

2 - assure that the WHAT is steeped in Leftist ideology (e.g., CRT, DEI, Woke, SEL, Marxism, etc.).

So (per the initial list above) when a school has better teachers (for example) what that really means is that the school is doing a more effective job at indoctrinating our children! … And (as another example) when students get better grades, it actually means that they are absorbing more of the Leftist ideology! … We should not let attractive buildings, smiling faces, etc. deceive us!

There is Hope —

I’ll end on a positive note: there are K-12 schools that are genuinely “Good” — even though they are few and far between. One example is the fourteen (14) Thales Academy schools in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Read their mission statements, etc. and you’ll see an unabashed endorsement of Critical Thinking as well as a genuine focus on teaching children HOW to think.

Counteracting the Left’s influence on our K-12 education should be the new primary goal of the federal Department of Education (which so far has been part of the problem). Changing the emphasis from teaching children WHAT to think to properly training them in HOW to think (i.e., being Critical Thinkers) would be the most significant education development in over a hundred years.

We CAN do this if we are laser-focused on exactly what needs to be done!

____________________________

PS — I’ve read dozens of articles about what makes a K-12 school “good” (e.g., here), written mostly by educators. Almost none of them said a word about Content (curricula) or Critical Thinking. This disconnect is appalling and is one of the main reasons why we are in such dire straits. Note that this study indicates that teaching Critical Thinking to K-12 students is not only doable but very beneficial.

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