‘School Checker’ helps families learn about school performance

The Daily Herald hosts online School Checker

As a child’s first teacher, every parent will benefit by keeping tabs on what’s happening when he/she sends students to school to learn with new and qualified classroom teachers at every grade level. Parents’ expectations come with the hope their child’s teacher will have the special skills that reach the learning needs of every student to achieve success.

Most individuals agree that a good education is the beginning to a good productive life. Literacy or knowing how to read and write is the beginning.  Well-educated individuals are able to reason, using their ability to read and write to gain knowledge that will benefit their future in a productive and ever-changing world.

The Daily Herald (A daily newspaper based in Arlington Heights, distributed in the northern, northwestern and western suburbs, including Naperville) recently collaborated with WBEZ (A noncommercial public radio station broadcasting from Chicago) to post charts and stats online that compare and contrast how schools in our region are performing.

The latest edition of information was featured by the Daily Herald on Oct. 30, 2015, as simply the 2015 Illinois State Report Card, for which they are “Still awaiting more results.”

The vital data, the vital stats from the Illinois School Report Cards are presented in a School Checker provided by the Daily Herald and WBEZ. To compare and contrast, easy-to-use tabs direct users to find schools or lists of schools by district, city, county or suburb.

The Daily Herald website School Checker reminds us that the state is releasing 2015 school report card data step by step. This most recent release includes demographic information for the 2014-2015 school year as well as ACT test results. Results for high school and elementary school PARCC tests are expected to be released later in the year.

Links to 203 and 204 Listings

For a listing of 22 schools in Naperville Community Unit School District 203

For a listing of 34 schools in Indian Prairie Unit School District 204

“Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.” —William Butler Yeats

Thanks for subscribing to print to be better educated

Thanks for reading daily print publications known as newspapers since the days of the American Revolution. In this digital age, the science is beginning to support more than ever the value of reading the printed page. Studies repeatedly are on the side of paper books. Reading the printed page helps with comprehension. Writing with a pen or pencil helps an individual remember the facts.

In other words, we support comprehension, not necessarily speed.  We support long-term learning over short-term. Ironically, plenty of the data regarding the value of the printed word vs. digital is posted online.

Simply find the balance between print & digital

Mindful that some people attest that many individuals who resist the speed of technology simply need to learn how better to read and comprehend digitally, we will continue to encourage finding the balance in all multi-media partners. We know digital is here to stay.

We also promote the joy of reading for pleasure in print.  We hope our readers share that relaxing experience with young people as another good way to remember and see the world.

And, of course, thanks for reading Positively Naperville, printed monthly and digital daily.

—PN