California high schools range, like most across the nation, from those high in standards to those severely lacking—in quality, in tools and materials, and in morale.

But as a community college instructor who taught at-risk students from the “feeder” California high schools in the summer, I would like to focus on the quality institutions—using the same information you can find on a number of websites.

Highest Ranked California High Schools

The “no child left behind” policy/program came along long after most of these schools were already reaching high. Such schools are ranked by the California Department of Education, given how they sit on the scale: the 1-10 indicating whether the school is in the top one percent through the top ten percent…of all schools in the state.  (Such demographics as follows are included in the ranking process: grade level, level of parents’ education, and number of students getting free or reduced-price lunch [according to greatschools.net].)

Here are some of the highest ranking schools, for example, in the San Mateo and San Francisco County districts:

At 9 are Aragon High School, Burlingame High School, and Carlmont High School.

At 8 is Hillsdale High School, which is in a more upscale neighborhood, by the way.

At 7, in primarily working-class surroundings, are El Camino High School, Capuchino High School, and Half Moon Bay High School.

And at 2, in the heart of San Francisco on Mission Street, is Jefferson High School.

Most Manageable Classroom Sized California High Schools

Another important criterion in the evaluation of high schools is how small the classrooms remain—the teachers clearly able to provide more quality instruction to the more controlled sizes.

Keep in mind that while average size protocol hasn’t changed all that much in many years, population changes have impacted the attempts to keep the average number of students per classroom down to between 20-30.

The following averages, then, according to the standards set by and the reports made by the Dept of Education and others, do not account for classes with more than 50 students (lecture classes, for example), classes taught by department chairs, or special education classes (according to CADOE, 2005-06):

With an average of 25 students per classroom, Jefferson might use this stat to account for its high success/ranking.  Close behind 27 students per class on average is Hillsdale.  Capuchino and El Camino follow with an average of 28 students per classroom.  And with 30 per class on average are Carlmont, Half Moon Bay, and Burlingame.  Aragon has 31.

California High Schools With Special Supportive Programs

Might affordable nourishment also account for highly ranking success? 
At Burlingame and Aragon high schools, 2 and 5 percent of the students reportedly participate in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program(s).  8 percent do so at Hillsdale High.  Respectively, 13, 14, and 17 percent participate in the program(s) at El Camino, Carlmont, and Capuchino.  And 24, 25, and 26 percent receive free or reduced cost lunches at High Tech High, Half Moon Bay, and Baden.  And again, Jefferson High sees 44% of the students taking the free or reduced-price lunches.

Other factors are important in the assessing of California high schools, but classroom size reduction, the institution of affordable lunches programs, and the relentless devotion on behalf of parents, teachers, and high school administrators clearly contribute to the student’s successful futures.

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Parents may worry about their children’s futures, and this is with good reason. There are occasionally stories on the news claiming that American children are falling behind the world in math and science skills, and this could mean trouble for our economy in the future. One way to help your child along is to concentrate on basic math skills when they are very young.

I know personally, there is a very good reason that I am not a teacher. The thought crossed my mind when I was young, but I found I just do not have the knack for it. If you are like me, you may need help in teaching your children basic math skills. Schools teach basic math skills, but it is important that you help your children to understand what they are learning. The key is to make learning fun and interactive. You aren’t really tricking them into learning, but they may be having so much fun, they don’t realize that there is a lesson for basic math skills included in the fun.

Home schooled children don’t have the school system to help them, and the burden falls on the parents. Thankfully, there are many sites on the Internet that are just for home schooled children, and included are great lessons pertaining to basic math skills. If you are like me and know you aren’t a good teacher, you have many resources available to you. Browse through your local bookstore or library for books geared towards teaching basic math skills. Look for lessons that are simple yet fun. These will keep your kids engaged in learning.

Music is a great way to reinforce basic math skills. This is why many advocates for early childhood development stress the importance of music for children with developmental delays. Just dancing or singing can be helpful. Baking and cooking are two more ways you can help teach basic math skills. Children learn about measurements and addition. This, as a bonus, also teaches some basic science skills as well.

Use the show method when trying to teach basic math skills. Don’t just ask your child to count to ten, have them choose something they are interested in to count. They can count ten pennies, or ten fruit snacks. Then you can have them eat two of the fruit snacks and ask them how many are left to demonstrate subtraction. No matter what method you use for teaching basic math skills, the important thing is that you try. Basic math skills are important, and your children are more likely to take them seriously if you do to.

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Remember when you were a child and a man would come to the door every so often offering what he would proudly deem “an encyclopedia set”? Are those days gone? Even with the Information Superhighway, you can still purchase an encyclopedia set!

According to Britannica, one of the world’s largest encyclopedia companies, there are still many people who order an encyclopedia set. In an age when the Internet offers never ending information to the user, one might think that there is no need to own a set, however there appear to still be many people who find a use for these books.

Having these books is a huge asset in a country where there is little access to computers. Many large companies donate them to countries for educational use. Children are still encouraged to utilize an encyclopedia set for a number of benefits.

According to the national Teachers Association encouraging the children to use them also teaches youngsters invaluable research skills and helps in learning how to spell. The logic is that if a student is looking up the information they have to have an idea about how to spell it, how to research it and then what to do with the information.

Many teachers prefer the use of them because it cuts down on plagiarism as well. Students using the computer and the Internet tend to be tempted to cut and paste information, whereas with a physical encyclopedia set, a student has to rewrite the information.

Most are updated yearly with new editions offered to families who purchase them. What encyclopedia companies often offer is a new update in the form of an updated book that is to be added to your original encyclopedia set. If you keep up with your encyclopedia set in this way then the set literally will not ever be ?out of date?. Information will continue to be added to the information originally offered in the set.

They can get very expensive but companies tend to offer payment plans. An encyclopedia set can cost as much as $4000 or more. Some companies see the value in offering add-ons such as a children?s science edition or a travel edition.

A comprehensive version, however, includes so much information that those who purchase an encyclopedia set believe that the cost is well worth it. Finally, the other thing to consider is that it is an investment that can be passed down from generation to generation if it is kept up with new editions.

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