US NEWS RANKS NATIONS BEST HIGH SCHOOLS for 2012

Posted by Bruce Kendall Remember the annual U.S. News list, ranking the 1,000 best high schools in the nation. This year the list grew to 2,008 with 500 gold medals awardees; it was only 100 in 2009. In evaluating almost 22,000 high schools, U.S. News awarded more than 4,850 gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top-performing schools. While looking for the Henry County High Schools results, I expected a continued presence on the list. Regretfully, my search brought to mind this Tom Landry Quote, I've learned that something constructive comes from every defeat. We did not make the top 4,850 high schools. So where are we? Tom Landry said, A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be. We read about college readiness in the news and how important it is, until now we were not provided a national measurement to compare how well we prepare students for post-secondary education. While I do not entirely agree with the methodology used, it was applied universally.

Student College Readiness was scored from 0 to 100. For

more detailed information about each school follow the link. Listed alphabetically: DUTCHTOWN college readiness score 25.7 Phone: 770-515-7510 MS. DWALA NOBLES, PRINCIPAL

EAGLE S LANDING college readiness score 28.4 PRINCIPAL Phone: 770-954-9515

MR. GABRIEL CRERIE,

HENRY COUNTY college readiness score 8.9 - MR. SCOTT JOHN, PRINCIPAL Phone: 770-957-3943 LOCUST GROVE college readiness score (N/A this year) PRINCIPAL Phone: 770-898-1452 MS. ROBYN MULLIS,

LUELLA college readiness score 27.0 770-898-9822 OLA college readiness score 27.2 770-288-3222

MR. JERRY SMITH, PRINCIPAL Phone: MR. ROSS IDDINGS, PRINCIPAL Phone: MR. GEORGE ECKERLE, PRINCIPAL MR. ERIC WATSON, PRINCIPAL MR. TOM SMITH, PRINCIPAL

PATRICK HENRY college readiness score (NA) Phone: 770-507-6414 STOCKBRIDGE college readiness score 16.6 Phone: 770-474-8747 UNION GROVE college readiness score 40. 4 Phone: 678-583-8502

WOODLAND college readiness score 24.7 - MR. BRET COOK, PRINCIPAL Phone: 770-389-2784 You can follow the links to rank schools by COLLEGE READINESS, MATH (AVG. PROFICIENCY), or ENGLISH (AVG. PROFICIENCY). Can we improve our results? I know we can, and looking to Tom Landry for guidance, When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn. We can improve upon three basic strategies: One, we need to involve parents in ways that we are not normally accustomed. First School Councils need to do the job for which they were intended. Second parents need to attend the Academic Parenting Classes our schools are supposed to be teaching. Third, parents need simple tools to work with their kids at home. Forth, Parents and schools need to build nontraditional partnerships to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Two, Build Better Students by focusing on the scholar and discipline skills needed to be successful in the classroom and the workplace, and not on the test.

Three, just accept the fact that Teachers are not masters of their profession upon graduation from college. Like any profession, they must be mentored, and developed. Something that education does the worst of any field of endeavor I have had the privilege of association. If you are prepared, you will be confident, and will do the job. -- Tom Landry Despite the facts, I continue to meet teachers who are dedicated to their profession, and I am hopeful. However, teachers cannot do this alone, they never have. This must be a community effort, and it will be interesting to see where our Superintendent leads us. Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you're in control, they're in control. -- Tom Landry The point of this commentary reminds me of, yes, another Tom Landry quote. The quality of a man's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence. If we make a commitment to excellence, and focus on mastering the basic academic skills needed by our students, parents, teachers and community we will accomplish what few have ever accomplished. Greatness!