patrick.net
An Antidote to Corporate Media
1,264,496 comments by 15,117 users - desertguy, KgK one, Onvacation online now
API test scores and real estate prices
invite response
2012 Sep 25, 2:05am 42,849 views 138 comments
by SJ ➕follow (0) 💰tip ignore
« First « Previous Comments 89 - 128 of 138 Next » Last » Search these comments
Goran_K
2012 Oct 3, 4:10am
and I'm led to assume you believe that hood-high builds greater leaders than high API schools?
I'm not saying Hood High builds better leaders, you're combining two different points into one, so the comparison loses meaning. What I'm saying on that particular point is that the difference between paying $250 a sqft more for a house for Cupertino High because it's in the CUSD, doesn't make sense over Dublin High, or Benicia or any other school where housing is MUCH cheaper, and the difference in API score is 30-50 points. Schools like Harvard, Princeton, UPenn etc, don't even see the API score of the freshman applicants because that's not the criteria they use to admit freshmen.
To go even further, my main point, and what we're really talking about here is an educational and instructional approach. For that, you can't go simply by API score, parents need to do their research on what the school offers,and how their programs help kids become better students, and innovators. This (and all the intricacies within) are what top tier schools use to admit students. So in THEORY, someone from 850 API HIGH could have a much better chance than someone from 950 API HIGH. You just need to do the research.
Like I said before, judging a school "top tier" just because it has a high API score is as lazy as saying the car with the highest HP will lap the fastest lap.
Wanderer
2012 Oct 3, 9:25am
I don't see my other one is motivated as the first one and only explanation I see is the school.
Really? You don't think there's any chance your kids could like, be two different people?
I graduated from UCSD having transferred there from community college. I had absolutely no means of going it any other way but isn't sending your kids to all the best schools (and paying for it) pretty risky when the only real advantage is some good ol' boy connections they MIGHT make? Otherwise, having a STEM degree from a state school seems to yield about the same results.
You're right, they are different. However, before we moved the second child to a different school (same city), her grades were always better than the first one. Not anymore. Can't say it any better than this:
zhanka says
Kids personalities are defined by those they hang around with.
I have other examples, 3 different families (our friends) decided to move their kids from private schools to a good public schools (Los Gatos and Cupertino), all those kids were doing good before, now 2 kids are failing HS and have some other issues, other one is just not doing as good as he did in Harker.
The rout you took thru community collegeI is fine for kids I will quote myself:
zhanka says
For those of you who has kids who know what they want and how to get it, it doesn't matter what school they are going, but for all other it does make a difference.
Goran_K,
Meaningless bump, but did you end up buying a house in a school district with a high API score?
Goran_K
2013 Jun 28, 4:36am
My kids are in private school, but I'm assuming all the schools in Laguna Beach are probably 900+ API schools (haven't checked).
all those kids were doing good before, now 2 kids are failing HS and have some other issues, other one is just not doing as good as he did in Harker.
I was flipping through the channels last week and came across a local HS quiz show. The kids from Menlo Park were giving Harker students a good beat down. I know, three students is not a representative sample size, but it still put a smile on my face.
evilmonkeyboy
2013 Jun 28, 10:21am
My kids are in private school, but I'm assuming all the schools in Laguna Beach are probably 900+ API schools (haven't checked).
884 which is not to shabby.
This is anecdotal, but during my years at Wharton, I never met more than 1-2 people who were actually raised in the Bay Area, or anyone that was from a fortress city.
vast majority went to Santa Clara University, San Jose State, Hayward, Sact, SLO, and a few from UCB and Stanford. The vast Majority found jobs in Silicon valley during the tech boom years.. 1960-1999... what you call the best like Wharton, never made to Silicon Valley. That is more recent events around here.
You think the Palo Alto, Cupertino buyers, the most educated in the world got it all wrong?
what you see today, was not always true in the past decades. it certainly no bearing were you came from and were you eventually made your career at. 15 years ago.. NO ONE EVERY heard of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto or Cupertino.
Goran_K
2013 Jun 28, 10:46am
vast majority went to Santa Clara University, San Jose State, Hayward, Sact, SLO, and a few from UCB and Stanford. The vast Majority found jobs in Silicon valley during the tech boom years.. 1960-1999... what you call the best like Wharton, never made to Silicon Valley. That is more recent events around here.
What are you talking about Thomas? Leonard Bosack who founded Cisco is a Wharton alumnus. So is Elon Musk. Tons of Wharton alumni have shaped and reshaped Silly-Con Valley yesterday, and today.
What are you talking about Thomas? Leonard Bosack who founded Cisco is a Wharton alumnus. So is Elon Musk. Tons of Wharton alumni have shaped and reshaped Silly-Con Valley yesterday, and today.
flip a coin.. chances are slim.. your chances are less than 1%. the vast majority who were employed in SV that came from local schools went to SJSU, Fresno State and not so high profile universities. Many in the past had no interest in California SVs at best mybe Route 128 - Boston.
B.A.C.A.H.
2013 Jun 30, 3:32pm
Hey thomas, maybe we'll meet up. I plan to be at Los Gatos Roasting Co. around 10:30 AM on Sat 7/6. I will be easy to spot: the one haolie who doesn't fit in with the hipsters.
Goran_K
2013 Jul 1, 1:22am
flip a coin.. chances are slim.. your chances are less than 1%. the vast majority who were employed in SV that came from local schools went to SJSU, Fresno State and not so high profile universities. Many in the past had no interest in California SVs at best mybe Route 128 - Boston.
I'm sure the majority of basic engineers, IT admins, or other working cogs came from local universities.
But a lot of the movers and leaders in Silly-con valley are Wharton alum, I could literally name a dozen.
mdiablo
2013 Jul 1, 8:43am
ZipRealty put out a list in May of school districts with the best combination of schools and home prices. They use their proprietary School Score rating, which seems to be based on the API, although they don't say how it's calculated. Here was the top-10 for the BA:
- San Ramon Valley Unified: School Score 9.1/Median Price per SF $304
- Sunol Glen Unified: School Score 9.3/Median Price per SF $356
- Piedmont Unified: School Score 9.5/Median Price per SF $539
- Palo Alto Unified: School Score 9.2/Median Price per SF $885
- Castro Valley Unified: School Score 8/Median Price per SF $265
- Dublin Unified: School Score 8.4/Median Price per SF $265
- Pleasanton Unified: School Score 8.6/Median Price per SF $332
- Albany Unified: School Score 8.6/Median Price per SF $419
- Benicia Unified: School Score 7.8/Median Price per SF $181
- Martinez Unified: School Score 7.8/Median Price per SF $185
Sunol Glen, for what it's worth, is a single K-8 school with 250 kids.
Goran_K
2013 Jul 1, 9:03am
Benicia was one of the cities I brought up on the very first page of this posting:
The question we're really considering here is if a student who goes to 830 API Benicia High School, where homes are selling for $130-$160 a sqft, is really worse off than another student who went to 893 API Cupertino High where homes are selling $600 - $700 a sqft?
I still maintain the viewpoint that all parents really need to do the research on the school programs offered, their quality, and how it will mesh with what they know of their child's abilities, and interest. If people can compare LCD TVs online for an hour or two, you can use that time to do research on the school you're going to put your child into.
bmwman91
2013 Jul 1, 9:27am
If people are really THAT nutty about the schools, then they should quit bitching and go private/parochial. People get so ridiculously worked up over school districts, it is just hilarious. Yeah yeah "I am not a parent so I don't understand." Apparently there isn't room for kids AND common sense in anyone's life anymore.
I'm sure the majority of basic engineers, IT admins, or other working cogs came from local universities.
But a lot of the movers and leaders in Silly-con valley are Wharton alum, I could literally name a dozen.
In a sea of Thousands of companies of the past several decades .. you come up with a dozen. Knock yourself out. There isnt enough from UCB or Stanford to East Coast top schools to have created all these companies. Its media fiction ever since year 2000. We certainly did hear such crap before.. until the media start with the hype.
Its a shame you werent here some 30 years ago to witness all this. But no one was interested in this.. I doubt any parent could understand why child wanted a crazy Degree in Computer Programming. Thats what they called it back than.
We had some great people who are not IVY league, UCB or Stanford..
who are worth their weight in gold... really great hard workers who shaped
this region to be the top leader in their field. Never disrespect them.
If people are really THAT nutty about the schools,
LOL! the people who are concerned start their planing for private schools decades
in advance.. and it works well for them. All this stuff today is just Nutty as hell.
Hey thomas, maybe we'll meet up. I plan to be at Los Gatos Roasting Co. around 10:30 AM on Sat 7/6. I will be easy to spot: the one haolie who doesn't fit in with the hipsters.
no, we dont get much hipsters in LG much.. but you will see the Harley crowd coming through down town ....
we may meet one day.
Palo Alto Unified: School Score 9.2/Median Price per SF $885
How does Palo Alto even end up on that list? That range suggests a weird criteria. Where is Marin Co?
15 years ago.. NO ONE EVERY heard of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto or Cupertino.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Wong.
Maybe you meant 150 years ago?
mdiablo
2013 Jul 1, 1:08pm
Palo Alto Unified: School Score 9.2/Median Price per SF $885
How does Palo Alto even end up on that list? That range suggests a weird criteria. Where is Marin Co?
Yeah, I thought that one was strange too. The Piedmont price per sf seems low as well.
Here's the link:
http://ir.ziprealty.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=180169&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1821084
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Wong.
Maybe you meant 150 years ago?
only after the late big 90s IPO Tech stock bubble began to form,
did people start to notice..
the modern day version of the California Gold Rush.
Had it not happened, and we had normal valuations, half the people
wouldnt be here today.. its that simple.
How is your experience 30 years ago even relevent to the young kids of today?
as Andrew Dice Clay said..
Whats the Fucking Difference !
Its the same $200K home someone paid a few years back,
and now someone wants $1 Million like it was Taj Mahal.
Unbelievable.. the kind of shit people come up with.
Have you ever heard of a lawyer at the partner level, Director or anyone that makes great money that think 880 API is anything? 880 is a deal breaker.
No one is looking for another Lawyer around these parts. Already have enough
880 API or higher makes no difference.
Why do people kill themselves to get into a place with a good school district? Because they don't want to spend $25-$30K per year for 12-13 years per child to send their kids to good schools. It's that simple. And that's today's money.
Think about it...why spend/piss away $350-$400K per child to send your kids to private ($800K for me) when you can spend an extra $100-$200K to get your kid into a district with good schools, and get your money back when you sell your home?
Also, in my opinion, there is a lot of misguided info in this thread. I understand APIs well...I was a school board member.
Just because one school's API is 940 and another is 880 does not mean the 940 is the better school. Maybe if the disparity was 900 vs 700. A lot depends on the makeup of the school. To me, a 10-10 school scoring 880 is better than an 8-9 school scoring 940.
My own kids go to a school that is 940-950. The hottest school in the district is a 905 school that is 10-10, another with dual immersion that is also 905. That's where the good teaching is happening. Wouldn't hesitate to send my kids to either.
I went to an exclusive boys prep school back east. Also went to a top state university. My friend and I joke about our school (now coed). He went to Duke and is a lawyer, and his wife is also a high flying patent attorney. He said he is sending all three of his kids to the local public high school and then the state school, which is only top 100. Not worth it to lay out big bucks when the kids get pretty much the same education and get admitted to many of the same universities.
Unless your kid gets into HYP or Stanford, their life chances aren't going to be much better than those who go to good state schools. If your kid is smart enough to get into one of those elite schools, it won't matter if they go to Harvard Westlake or Culver City. They will likely get in no matter which they attend.
IMHO, go to a good public school system and save your cash.
New Renter
2013 Jul 1, 3:14pm
Why do people kill themselves to get into a place with a good school district? Because they don't want to spend $25-$30K per year for 12-13 years per child to send their kids to good schools. It's that simple. And that's today's money.
Think about it...why spend/piss away $350-$400K per child to send your kids to private ($800K for me) when you can spend an extra $100-$200K to get your kid into a district with good schools, and get your money back when you sell your home?
Well in the SFBA you can buy a house in East Palo Alto for $400-700k or a similar house a few miles west in Palo Alto for $1.4-1.7M+. And THAT's for a 50 year old Eichler crapbox.
Granted there is a non trivial personal safety factor to be considered as well.
You have a serious reading comprehension problem. lol
nobody was using the local education system to justify some high home prices...
you just did not see that as the big thing going around the valley when it came
to buying a home... no wonder everyone was actually saving money for retirement.
Yeah, I thought that one was strange too. The Piedmont price per sf seems low as well.
Here's the link:
http://ir.ziprealty.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=180169&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1821084
I can see how this data would have a very satisfying effect on data-driven, science education parents. It has that effect on me. I don't think it's enough data, though. To simple. I'm actually doubting the benefit of good schools on a person's life. Climbing social ladders has benefits, but you have to be careful about how much priority you give it or someone ends up jumping off a ladder.
I can see how this data would have a very satisfying effect on data-driven, science education parents. It has that effect on me. I don't think it's enough data, though. To simple. I'm actually doubting the benefit of good schools on a person's life. Climbing social ladders has benefits, but you have to be careful about how much priority you give it or someone ends up jumping off a ladder
What other alternatives are left for these parents, except for education? Even education may not get jobs in a few decades, as we are trying to get rid of once white collar jobs.
What other alternatives are left for these parents, except for education?
Children get educated in and out of good schools. The good schools aren't the source of education. Good schools might be the way to climb social circles, though, and so maybe a person's life becomes not harmfully difficult through social benefits.
Children get educated in and out of good schools. The good schools aren't the source of education. Good schools might be the way to climb social circles, though, and so maybe a person's life becomes not harmfully difficult through social benefits.
It depends on how you look at it.
1. Modern education's primary purpose is to help people move up the ladder; its unintended consequence is some learning.
2. Modern education's primary purpose is to help people learn; its unintended consequence is is to help people move up the ladder.
Elite schools, academies, etc, sell the view point (2), to conceal the view (1).
What other alternatives are left for these parents, except to try to climb their way up?
It's rare that I meet someone with a college education who seems to have been educated. Really basic concepts seem to have gone right by them. It's sad because I think an education can really lead to thoughts that help you deal with anything you encounter in life as opposed to being super stressed-out about the next thing you'll buy on your way to your first heart attack if you don't fight it off with all your treadmilling.
For the record, I favor the supposed gift from the Greeks of knowledge for knowledge sake. I find it helpful in forming a perspective that keeps day-to-day events at bay.
For the record, I favor the supposed gift from the Greeks of knowledge for knowledge sake. I find it helpful in forming a perspective that keeps day-to-day events at bay.
What unites everyone in the states? American dream, of course! American dream is not about knowledge; it is all about money. Money, more money, ways to make much more money, etc.
To all those people working in Technology, Finance, Medicine, Law, and other well paid fields, American dream = make sure that their kids reach a financial status a notch above what they currently have.
The school one went to, the kind of friends they have, the kind of circles they belong to, etc are all means to achieve that American dream.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Wong.
Maybe you meant 150 years ago?
only after the late big 90s IPO Tech stock bubble began to form,
did people start to notice..
the modern day version of the California Gold Rush.
Had it not happened, and we had normal valuations, half the people
wouldnt be here today.. its that simple.
For some reason, Mr. Wong is extremely embittered about the current state of the Valley. I agree it's overly hyped, but that doesn't explain his level of hatred.
but that doesn't explain his level of hatred.
LOL! not hatred... some of you need to get over it, the big hey days are over.
I am calling people to sober up...
To all those people working in Technology, Finance, Medicine, Law, and other well paid fields, American dream = make sure that their kids reach a financial status a notch above what they currently have.
my two cents, our great need today is alternative energy sources,
you will find great success looking after natural gas in middle america.
Not sure we need additional SW programmers, doctors or lawyers.
« First « Previous Comments 89 - 128 of 138 Next » Last » Search these comments
Why do API test scores and schools matter so much to real estate prices? Is it possible to buy a nice home at an affordable price in a safe area in California?
#housing