When Rye talks about Harrison, and vice versa, the conversation usually focuses on the historic football rivalry. But we have a lot more in common with our neighbors. Both communities boast beautiful neighborhoods with high-priced homes. Both see education as key to their children’s success, and pay high taxes, most of which go to their school systems.

 

 

By Walt Mardis

 

When Rye talks about Harrison, and vice versa, the conversation usually focuses on the historic football rivalry. But we have a lot more in common with our neighbors. Both communities boast beautiful neighborhoods with high-priced homes. Both see education as key to their children’s success, and pay high taxes, most of which go to their school systems.

 

But ask local real estate agents whether Rye or Harrison is better known for having superior schools and the most common answer is Rye. Ask many newcomers to the area why they chose Rye as a place to live and most will say, “Rye’s great schools were a factor.” Moreover, housing prices reflect this typical observation – equivalent houses in Rye generally cost more than their Harrison counterparts. Although differences in schools certainly do not account for all of the spread (Rye’s nicer downtown, its proximity to the Sound, and its tighter community feel are also cited as pluses), most agree that the reputation of the schools is a major consideration.

 

 

One local realtor, Laura DeVita of William Raveis, acknowledged that a big selling point for Rye is the perception that the town has a top-notch school system. “People leaving New York City often do so because they want to ensure their kids get a good education, so the first thing on their minds is: which suburban towns have the best reputations. They may have read national news magazine surveys that list Rye among the area’s top schools or they hear from their friends already living here about Rye. In any case, they come into our office with a pre-conceived notion that the schools are good. The schools are a very big selling point.”

 

The question then is: Are Rye schools truly superior and is their reputation, in comparison to Harrison schools really deserved. Should people be willing to pay more to live in Rye just based on the quality of the school system?’

 

School leaders in both communities have positive views of their systems. Moreover, the officials we spoke to from Rye had high praise for Harrison and visa versa. Officials in both communities talk about programs that are up to date in their teaching methods, emphasize the need for individual attention, and are effective in preparing all students for life.

 

We spoke to Louis Wool, Superintendent of the Harrison School District, who described with pride both the programs that the schools have implemented and the results achieved. In particular, Wool cites the International Baccalaureate Program that Harrison has adopted as one example of an innovative initiative.

 

The IB is an academically challenging and balanced two-year college preparatory program for high school juniors and seniors. It requires that students take a broad range of courses in math, science, and language and conduct focused original research. The process of being selected as an IB school includes significantly realigning curriculums, training for faculty and administrators, comprehensive on-site evaluations by IB officials, and numerous meetings with students and parents. At the end of the rigorous course work, students take an externally monitored exam to assess their performance and those that pass are awarded an IB diploma – something that Wool says top colleges increasingly look for. Next year, 80 percent of Harrison juniors will be enrolled in the program.

 

Dennis Di Lorenzo, president of Harrison’s Board of Education, describes the system’s commitment to giving every student the opportunity to maximize his or her potential, including offering advanced placement courses to all. “Our goal”, he said, “is to ensure that all children, no matter what their backgrounds may be, are given the skills and motivation needed to go to college or for other advanced training.”

 

Superintendent Wool added, “And we constantly assess performance and examine our programs along the way to make sure that everyone is succeeding, including requiring students to take some New York State Regents Exams early as a pre-assessment to determine if they are meeting learning goals.” To back this up, Harrison offers teachers the opportunity for extensive faculty training, including voluntary programs over the summer that most of the staff take advantage of. 

 

Bob Amato, a longtime Harrison resident and former board member, also points to the success the schools have had in managing diversity. “We have a community with all kinds of people and a student body from a wide variety of backgrounds. The schools have not only been able to meet all the differing needs of these students but, in fact, have made diversity a strength.”

 

Rye school leaders point to some of the same sorts of strengths in the Rye system. An emphasis on individual attention, close involvement of teachers with students, and rigorous classes and regular performance evaluations are all part of the plan. School Board President Laura Slack is particularly proud of programs such as the community service requirement – students must perform 60 hours of community service just to graduate and 120 hours to get recognition on their transcripts; a program that gives freshman, sophomores, and juniors individual tutoring in writing; and an ongoing effort to define what students need to accomplish by the time they graduate which is then translated into curriculum planning all the way down to the grade schools.

 

Slack and to Mary Evangelist, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction and Assessment, agree that the Rye community has very high expectations for the schools and looks to the board and the administration to deliver. “Almost all Rye parents plan for their children to go on to college and want programs that ensure that they are prepared,” they said in a recent interview in the district office. “The schools recognize this need and have responded with college-focused training, including offering an impressive 23 advanced placement courses which provide the opportunity to gain college credits while in high school.”

 

On the basis that many parents use in gauging the success of their schools, both systems show impressive results in getting students into top colleges. Lists of where graduates will be going suggest that Rye and Harrison are remarkably similar. Students from both districts go to Ivy League colleges as well as numerous well-respected public universities.

 

In terms of performance on tests, however, there is a meaningful gap between Harrison and Rye. Harrison’s mean SAT scores last year were a combined 1562. Rye’s mean composite scores were 1782. The leaders in SAT scores in Westchester are Scarsdale (1935), Chappaqua (1904), Edgemont (1887), and Bronxville (1866.) The average for all New York State students taking the SAT is in the 1460s.

 

The difference in test scores is not explained by class size, spending per pupil, or teacher qualifications (numbers of teachers with advanced degrees.) In all three categories, Harrison and Rye are essentially the same. Part of the explanation for the gap may be related to differing levels of diversity.

 

According to the published New York State data, Harrison has a higher percentage of students receiving free or subsidized lunches (10% in Harrison versus 3% in Rye.) and a higher proportion of the students are Hispanic, African-American or Asian. “Harrison is more ‘multi-ethnic’ and has more kids at all economic levels,” one resident said, “and while I may find that appealing and good for giving kids an introduction to the real world that they will someday live in, not all folks agree.” Unfortunately, as another observer noted, it may reflect a degree of “cultural snobbery” by at least a small group of people.

 

Di Lorenzo also acknowledges that part of Harrison’s image relates back to problems that characterized the system in years past. “When I became involved in the schools a decade ago,” he said, “we definitely faced some issues. There were no common curriculums, schools were being managed ineffectively, and, honestly, test results, were not great. In the past decade, conditions have changed dramatically for the better.” Di Lorenzo added, “Unfortunately, it takes time for people’s perceptions to change, but they are changing.” As evidence, he pointed to an apparent decline in the number of families taking their children out of the schools in favor of private schools and an increase in the number returning to the system from some of those private institutions.

 

A related explanation seems simply to reflect a superior job on the part of Rye in touting the strengths of its schools. Whether it is the leadership of the schools or parents of children in the schools, the message that is consistently heard is that Rye has great schools. And, given the obvious quality of the schools, that message resonates. Harrison has not managed to get the same message out as effectively.

 

Realtor DeVita echoed this notion. “Harrison has a great school system and the International Baccalaureate program is really a gem, probably even superior to other college-focused curriculums,” she said. “I know how strong the program is and I would happily recommend Harrison to any of my clients who are looking for a first-rate school system. Unfortunately, Harrison has not done a great job of getting this message out. They definitely should!”

 

The bottom line: both Rye and Harrison have much to be proud of with their schools. They differ in some respects and have slightly different philosophies of education. Yet, both appear committed to serving the distinct needs of their students and, as the results show, both are doing commendable jobs.