High school rankings raise questions.

Many organizations have suggested ways to improve the nation's high schools, but some educators are skeptical about whether it is worthwhile to rank schools' performance based on their own or other criteria.

"Ranking is not a productive way to think about our high schools. I don't think it's helpful," asserts Naomi Housman, director of the National High School Alliance.

In a report, A Call to Action, the alliance recently unveiled a framework of six core principles and recommended strategies for preparing the nation's youth for college careers and more active participation (see sidebar)

Similarly, the School Redesign Network at the Stanford University School of Education has identified 10 features of "Good Small Schools" that it says help all students succeed academically. The features include personalized learning through reduced teacher loads, in-depth learning with real-world connections, and qualified teachers.

Newsweek magazine, in its May 16 issue, ranked the top 1,000 U.S. high schools based on their participation in advanced placement and international baccalaureate tests. Newsweek says "no other standard works as well to measure a high school's success at challenging students to perform at a high level."

Others disagree. "We do not think the complexity of school improvement and quality issues can be condensed into a simple formula or index" like Newsweek used, asserts Trevor Packer, executive director of the AP program, which is run by the College Board.

While Newsweek gauged schools' participation in the AP exams, it did not measure student results. "If you're going to use AP to rank schools, we recommend that you look at both participation and performance," Packer says.

Participation in the AP and IB programs was among criteria the College Board itself used to select three high schools for its Inspiration Awards this year for "improving the academic environment." But the board's criteria also included the percentage of students accepted to two- or four-year higher education institutions and "innovative ways" schools used to inspire student success. None of the board's winning schools made Newsweek's list.

"Ranking is an American thing. We like lists and we like to compete. But I would hate to think it sends the message that as long as there are more AP courses or more kids taking these tests, we're serving kids better, because that's not the case," Housman says.

Meanwhile, a recent study by researchers at Indiana University shows that while most high school students say they aim for college, they don't study hard enough in high school to succeed in college.

A Call to Action: 6 Steps

1. Personalized learning environments

2. Academic engagement of all students

3. Empowered educators

4. Accountable leaders

5. Engaged community and youth

6. Integrated systems of high standards, curriculum, instruction, assessments and supports