Auburn, Opelika school systems recognized in annual survey

Special to the News
Published: May 11, 2008

MONTGOMERY — Twenty-five Alabama public school systems have been nationally recognized by SchoolMatch’s 17th annual “What Parents Want Award,” including the Auburn and Opelika city school systems, according to an Alabama Department

of Education release. These awards are presented to 2,529 of America’s 15,571 public school districts for making noteworthy strides to meet the needs of their communities. Alabama also had 25 school systems make the list in 2007.

The majority of Alabama’s recognized school systems have consistently received the “What Parents Want Award” for most of the last decade. The award, which originated in 1992, recognizes systems that meet standards of excellence in seven criteria, including competitive academic test scores, accreditation, recognition for excellence by a national foundation or the U.S. Department of Education, competitive teacher salaries, above (national) average instructional expenditures, above (national) average expenditures for library/media services and small class sizes.

This year’s recognition marks the 13th for Auburn City Schools, which has received the the recognition each year since 1996. It is the second time for Opelika City Schools, which has been recognized the last two years.

An April 1 search of the twenty-two field SchoolMatch Database revealed that only 16 percent of the nation’s public schools consistently provide “What Parents Want” in public education.

A collection of more than 97,000 parent questionnaires completed by SchoolMatch clients reveals that the seven items are the qualities parents most often look for in school systems.

Only secondary schools are eligible for the distinction since parents usually try to find school systems that produce quality high school graduates.

The systems were judged using auditable information gathered annually state-by-state from sources including county assessors, county auditors, state taxing authorities, and state departments of education.

For more information about SchoolMatch, go to http://www.schoolmatch.com.