Lynn Walsh

A story produced for Texas Watchdog:

Video: HISD Trustee Anna Eastman says school ratings websites boost accountability
Tue Jun 29 18:25:03 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

Ratings of Houston Independent School District schools are no longer just coming from the State of Texas or the federal government. Now the public can join in the rating game too.

Houston ISD Trustee Anna Eastman said she is excited about the information being aggregated and shared by websites like GreatSchools and EveryBlock.

“I think if we further mobilize the voice of people who are actually experiencing these schools … it just pushes us to do a better job and helps hold us to a greater level of accountability,” Eastman said. View her entire comments below.

Websites like Everyblock and GreatSchools provide forums for comments and ratings for schools in HISD and around the country by parents, community members, teachers and others.

Will information posted on the sites have negative impacts on schools receiving poor ratings? Eastman does not see it that way: “I’m really excited about information that’s out there that is more objective than the systems we have in place to rate our schools,” Eastman said.

Have you used school ratings sites before? What is your opinion on the sites? Let me know. E-mail lynn@texaswatchdog.org, call 713-228-2850. I’m also on Twitter: @Lwalsh.