NYC Educator: On the "Worst" Schools

NYC Educator: On the "Worst" Schools:

On the "Worst" Schools

A link at Gotham Schools today declares "The worst schools in Buffalo, as in NYC, are routinely flooded with the neediest students." I went to the link in question, which repeatedly described the Buffalo schools as "failing," including the quotes. In fact, the article clearly stated the city and  Reformy John King were "stacking the deck" against these schools, counting even students who'd attended only one day in their failure rate.

My question to Gotham regarded which standard we were using to label these schools "the worst?" Standardized test scores? The graduation rate? Are we absolutely certain that if we placed the same kids in other schools they would do better, and by do betterI mean graduate sooner? Would that kid with only one day of attendance have excelled at some Doug Lemov-approved miracle school where the papers got distributed faster and the kids marched quietly from one side of the room to another?

Isn't it harder to graduate when you have learning disabilities or arrive in eleventh grade with no knowledge of English? I