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In choosing the best place to raise a family, parents have always ranked the quality of a school district. For many, choosing the most expensive school district in the region was often equivalent to giving kids the best possible start in life. However, quality education can be found at all economic levels, as long as you are willing to take the time to research each district individually when choosing a home for your family.

recently made the search a bit easier by publishing "The Best Schools for Your Housing Buck," which lists the top 25 school districts across the country, based on a variety of criteria. Forbes researched the top school districts in the country that provided both high-quality education and fabulous housing for residents. While some of the districts on this list are still relatively pricey for the average American, there are also some locations that provide positive educational opportunities for a fraction of the price.

Smart Criteria Used

Forbes and GreatSchools looked at more than 17,000 cities and towns in 49 states to assemble their listing. Factors considered included:

• Test score data
• Public school enrollment from K-12
• Median home prices for 2009
• Population data for 2009

Some cities were eliminated from the list because of populations less than 10,000 since these areas offered insufficient data for analysis. The study also left out the state of Nebraska, since it does not currently offer a standardized state-wide testing process to evaluate student performance. Cities with fewer

AP courses, state standardized test scores, and teacher-to-student ratios: these are all measures utilized by parents to judge a public high school’s quality. However, what if parents have been evaluating all the wrong statistics? What if the best way to measure a public high school’s educational quality is by the success its students achieve after they graduate?

While some public high schools will proudly publish the colleges to which their seniors have been accepted, what happens to these students once they enter into the towers of higher education? Has their public high school education properly prepared them for the rigors of college?

All of these answers – and more – can actually be answered through research and data compiled by the .

Measuring a Public High School’s Success

As reported by the , the National Student Clearinghouse manages a database of more than 93 million students enrolled in over 3,300 colleges. While this information was once compiled for student loan purposes, the Clearinghouse has now made this data available for high schools.

Included in the National Student Clearinghouse reports is a bevy of valuable information, such as:

• Institutions of enrollment
• College transfer statistics
• College graduation rates
• Types of degrees earned
• Majors pursued

The conclusions that could be gleaned from these reports are invaluable for both high schools and parents. For example, in the sample report evaluated by the Washington Post, the data showed:

• 76% of

A recently issued by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit educational think tank, indicates that more than 1.7 million American students attend what the report terms “private-public schools” – that is, public schools where low-income students make up less than 5% of the student body.

The Fordham Institute report criticizes these “private-public schools,” arguing that they go against the ideal of a public education system whose doors are open to everyone. The report will likely spark vehement reactions both from those who share its support of school choice reforms and those who do not.

This report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute discusses bad schools.

The Report’s Findings

Geographic Disparities

The accompanying the Fordham Institute analysis highlights the fact that the percentage of students attending “private-public schools” varies from state to state. Some states boast high percentages of students attending “private-public schools,” such as:

• Connecticut: 18%
• New Jersey: 17%
• South Dakota: 16%
• Arizona: 14%
• Massachusetts: 12%

However, in other states, no more than 1% of children attend “private-public schools.” The states with less than 1% of children attending “private-public schools” are:

• Florida
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Carolina

Racial Disparities

White and Asian students appear to be disproportionately represented in “private-public school” populations, while African-American and Latino students are under-represented. The press release accompanying the report notes that while African-American students make up 17% of public school students nationwide, they comprise only 3% of

Several years ago, the word “sexting” was not part of American vernacular. Unfortunately, in the past year, the word has become a part of our society, permeating news articles as a description of a disturbing trend: teenagers sending sexually explicit photos of themselves and other teens using their cell phones.

The Unfortunate Consequences of Sexting

The trend became the focus of increased attention after a high school student’s suicide in July 2008 was attributed to sexting. Jessica Logan, a senior at an Ohio high school, had sent nude photos of herself to a boyfriend.

After the relationship ended, her ex-boyfriend sent the photos to other female students at Logan’s school, which resulted in months of harassment and teasing for Logan. Logan reported, according to MSNBC, that the other girls called her a "slut" and a "whore," and that the teasing was so disruptive that she began to skip school. Logan hung herself one month after her high school graduation.

Logan’s parents recently filed suit against the high school and several other defendants, alleging that the school and the local police did not do enough to protect their daughter from being bullied and harassed, reports the .

According to a recent study commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, “20 percent of teenagers have taken nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves and sent them to someone or posted them online,” reports the New York Times blog

The consequences for school fights may no longer be limited to a visit to the principal’s office and detention. In light of the last decade’s rise in school violence, many students find themselves facing legal consequences for their misbehavior on campus.

In years past, school fights and bullying would only result in school-based punishments, such as suspension or detention. Today, however, a rising number of middle school and high school teens are being arrested for their in-school malfeasances.

School Fights: The Rising Threat

Public schools nationwide report more severe punishments for school fights and student misbehavior. For example, of Wake County, North Carolina, reported that three students were arrested after several fights erupted at the Knightdale High School. According to reports, the police were called to the school after multiple fights broke out among students.

Allegedly, one 16-year-old student and another 17-year-old student were engaged in crimes such as “disorderly conduct” and “simple affray,” resulting in the two students’ arrests. In addition, an older 18-year-old student was also arrested, as this particular student allegedly tried to join in the fight, and reports also suggest that the 18-year-old student “Took a swing at an officer who was trying to detain him.”

While students 18 and older are understandably tried as adults, many community members question whether the 16 and 17-year-old students should have been similarly reprimanded, as they are technically minors.

This video discusses how to deal with fighting in