Among area high schools, excellence starts with a ‘C’SFlb(Chaney, Canfield and

Among area high schools, excellence starts with a ‘C’SFlb(Chaney, Canfield and Columbiana)

Kudos to three of the Mahoning Valley’s 50 public high schools for earning bragging rights this month for nationally-recognized academic excellence.

Youngstown Chaney High School, Canfield High School and Columbiana High School stand out as the only three high schools in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties to make the second annual ranking of America’s Best High Schools by U.S. News and World Report and School Evaluation Services.

The rankings, published recently in the national news weekly magazine, are based on detailed statistical analyses of about 21,000 public high schools across the United States.

SES, a K-12 education and data research and analysis business, calculated how well students perform on state achievement tests. It also looked closely at each school’s scores in relationship to its proportion of student poverty. Only those schools that “significantly exceeded” state averages won honors.

All three of the Valley schools, as well as Commodore Perry High School in the Shenango Valley, won bronze medals or third-tier awards. Considering that only 1,321 schools made the list, the bronze medals in no way diminish the distinction and the honor due these centers of effective learning.

A nice surprise

The accomplishment is particularly noteworthy in Youngstown. To the average observer, the financially challenged city school district might be the last place to find a model for educational excellence. After all, the district remains in academic watch by the state Department of Education and has been wallowing in a financial quagmire for years.

But students, teachers and administrators at the West Side high school proved that an exemplary learning environment can take hold even amid fiscal challenges.

The city school district opened its $25 million renovated and expanded Chaney High to 800 students last year, complete with state of the art learning resources.

Of course, brand spanking new buildings packed to the gills with 21st century resources do not alone an effective learning climate make. Teachers and staff who initiate creative programs, who monitor students closely and who go out of their way to ensure students succeed and graduate mean more than a laboratory stocked with the snazziest new computers.

At Chaney, school leaders have adopted a so-called school of class where teaching and learning are “class acts,“ according to Dean Edna Douglas. It specializes in small schools within the larger school to give special attention to varying disciplines and career goals.

The SES survey, after all, based its findings on a foundation that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those on college-prep tracks.

Other honorees

Canfield High School’s ranking as a national model of excellence comes as little surprise to those familiar with the district’s longstanding reputation of academic integrity. Canfield Principal Adeline Barone attributes the honor to the cohesive commitment to educational quality among students, staff, parents and the community.

As with Canfield, the other Valley award winner — Columbiana — also received excellent standings in this year’s Ohio Department of Education state report cards. Columbiana also has been nominated by Ohio for a Blue Ribbon award under the No Child Left Behind Act. Principal Timothy Sexton credits extra initiative students and faculty members display to ensure a model learning environment.

Teachers, staff, administrators, policymakers and students in these honored schools should hold their heads high and continue their winning ways for other high schools of all shapes, sizes and demographics in the region to emulate.