The Just for the Kids (JFTK) Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information that will "empower parents, educators, and community leaders to diagnose the academic health of their local schools." It provides research and data analysis on student achievement data in Texas public schools. Its uniqueness lies in its analysis of achievement based on student gaining proficiency on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) rather than the minimal standard of simply passing TAAS.

At its user-friendly website (www.just4kids.org), you can find campus-by-campus charts showing how each Texas school performs and how it compares with other similar top performing schools. Recently, they have added analysis at district level as well as a list of top performing schools in Texas grouped under various socio-economic profiles. Schools were selected based on the TAAS proficiency rates by students who were continuously enrolled for three or more years.

The table shows the schools in six districts that make it into the list of top elementary schools in reading. I have chosen to compare Plano with Richardson and Garland as well as three suburban districts of Houston (Katy, Clear Creek and Spring Branch). All are large districts with more than 25,000 students and the socio-economic profile are relatively similar. In order to help you relate proportionately, the total number of elementary schools considered by JFTK for 1999 listed under the left column.

It becomes very clear that Plano has far too few schools making the list of top schools in reading. There are none in the 4^th and 5^th grade levels. A similar comparison for mathematics, which will be forthcoming, is even more depressing. Although PISD has a high average SAT score compared with these districts, I am not sure how that will stand up to deeper scrutiny. Judging by how little mastery is exhibited by kids in the lower grades, one wonders how much of the high SAT scores is boosted by extra-curricular financial investment by the family.

According the Texas Education Agency’s annual report on school district, Plano spends the most among the six districts in operating cost per pupil for 1998 and 1999. We made heavy investments in developing our own "Integrated Curriculum" and having the latest in technology. Any discerning businessperson should wonder if we are getting adequate returns on our investment.