Home Prices ÷ Test Scores = Pi

In my last post, I introduced you to Sandra Tsing Loh, our intrepid L.A. mom, who's looking for a school for her soon-to-be kindergartner.

As the first day of kindergarten is drawing slowly but surely closer, Sandra realizes how much work she still has to do. She's even considering uprooting her family and moving to a neighboring suburb, just for its lust-worthy test scores.

In this second video clip from her performance piece, Mother on Fire, Sandra does her homework into the relationship between test scores and home prices. Do home prices ÷ test scores = Pi (or API)? No, wait, just watch the video and find out.

Comments

[A So CA Mom]

Sandra Tsing Loh is hysterically correct. Our closest public school here in So CA is half a mile away, but has the lowest scores in the city, and one of the lowest in the county. It also has over 900 children, K-8. Yes, its students are primarily Hispanic. But, like Sandra and Armenians in Glendale, I have nothing against Hispanics -- I love their food, their cultural events are fun, and I want my daughter to learn to speak Spanish! But I don't want my daughter attending this public school because she's 3 grade levels above in reading and math in first grade. She would be bored to distraction and causing serious trouble if she was in a public school. We are very fortunate to be able to choose a private school, and I am grateful every day for the privilege. Other white neighbors have their kids in Lutheran schools in town, but we are non-secular, so our search for a great school was much harder.

Like Sandra and many other So CA parents, we went through a difficult process of finding a great school. We lost the lottery for the local amazing magnet school for 2 years in a row. We tried a far-too alternative private school because it was in the same city and the art studio was incredible. We finally settled for an academic-focused private school 3 cities away that allows my daughter to work above grade level in some subjects but also includes art and music as part of regular curriculum.

I hope Great Schools posts more video from Sandra Tsing Loh!

[Bertram A. Fitzgerald]

I published a series of graphic novels on African American History
which became very popular during the late Sixties and early Seventies as a learning tool for Social Studies, Motivational Reading and Language Arts; primarily because it also was high-interest level/low reading level material and was distributed Free to schools, libraries and to Black
Communiies by the Coca-Cola Co. and other major Corporations. When their promotional interest waned, I was able to get Avon Products,the A. & P. Food Stores, A.T. & T. and Woolworths etc. involved. As a result I became familiar with the above types of predjudice and sensitivities.

[Anaida Grigorian]

Dear Sandra,
Your clips were like an answer to my prayer!I can't beleive the coincidence! It's really weird, but I was for months looking exactly at all the towns you had on the map , comparing the scores, looking at the real -estate prices, trying to figure it out and got myself completely stuck with no real solutions. There are so many things to consider: academics, safety, socio-economic environment...
You have helped me make my final relocation decision: not to move to LA!
I myself am an Armenian but of a very different type. We live on the East Cost, and have in the past visited Glendale (old friends). It seemed nice but so ethnically sugregated! I understand how you must feel about the growing foreign-culture dominance in your town. You guys are really tolerant there compare to our New England folks!
Thank you again, and good luck with your search. I would recommend Boston...but don't think you'll like the cold!
What about San Diego!?