[LibertarianInExile]

Correlation is causation.

Therefore, since birds poop on statues all over the world, statues must cause birds to poop.

In fact, if there was a school with formal attire required, it would be the BEST school in the country.

/sarcasm

I'm sure the principal's strictness was useful, but self-selection probably played a role in the school's success. And I would hazard a guess that the principal knew all or most of the students. A study done a couple of years ago cross-checked all the variables that might affect education. The variable that made the most substantial difference? School size. Administrator-to-student-ratio, i.e., CHIEF principal to student ratio, is the biggest factor in student success, no matter what class size, teacher pay, or economic situation the school is in.

That's why Joe Clark kicked ass, and why California is a black hole educationally.

I wish I had the documentation on that survey. It was impressive--therefore, it was buried, and we continue to build monster schools nationwide.

[Eva]

You're right it was a relatively small school, 2000 students in grades 7-12. It was a unified school district for two townships that had previously had no high school at all. The amazing thing is that the school was twenty minutes (12 miles) from downtown Philadelphia. When my parents moved there in the 50s, there you had to pick your mail up at the general store and we had our groceries delivered. The high school was built a few years later.