Public Good: NYC Public Schools Data
February 17th, 2010When it comes to making choices about which public elementary school to send your child to when s/he is about to start Pre-Kindergarten, the options and possibilities can be overwhelming. And the application process daunting. Touring schools during the pre-application period is highly recommended. But if you’re like me, and you’d also like to compare basic demographic and performance data from different schools, you may ask, where can I readily and easily access such information about my school choices?
Access to information can have an equalizing effect. It can provide consumers an accessible, level playing field. Although too much information, or information that is overwhelming, disorganized, hard to interpret or just plain difficult to wade though, can be a real turn-off to the consumer looking to make informed decisions. Which is why, I am so excited about a simple, easy to navigate website that provides timely, relevant data that is well organized, presented and accessible at absolutely no cost to the consumer.
Big Apple Ed , the 3rd place winner of NYC’s Big Apps competition, attempts to fill the information gap in a most user-friendly space. According to their site, “Now New York City residents have an easy way to find important information about your city’s schools. By providing one place to view testing data, contact information, suspension rates, and student/teacher ratios, Big Apple Ed hopes to increase transparency and help all New York City schools improve.”
Let’s just hope that the developers have figured out how to keep Big Apple Ed up and running with the latest data. After all, someone has to manage the site and, since it’s value is entirely based on the accuracy and timeliness of its data, maintenance is key to its success.