User:Noroton/opinions

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[edit] Reasons for keeping high school articles

High schools are inherently notable IMHO, and no harm would be done if every high school in the nation had a Wikipedia article (well, aside from attracting vandals). WP:SCHOOL is not official policy.

High schools have enormous importance in the lives of students and communities. We allow Wikipedia articles for local communities because we recognize their importance to people, not because they're all significant far beyond their boundaries.

High schools get seared into the memories of those who go there, whether they love the experience or hate it. They have a natural importance which I call inherent. High schools are one of the things that communities put their money, their interest and their hopes into.

If we take out the high school articles, even those that don't identify some notability for people far beyond the school district, we would really just diminish Wikipedia.

[edit] Notes on notability

Quote from WP:ORG (emphasis added):

Notable means "worthy of being noted" or "attracting notice". It is not synonymous with "fame" or "importance". Please consider notable and demonstrable effects on culture, society, entertainment, athletics, economies, history, literature, science, or education. Large organizations are likely to have more readily available verifiable information from reliable sources that provide evidence of notability; however, smaller organizations can be notable, just as individuals can be notable, and arbitrary standards should not be used to create a bias favoring larger organizations.

It is hard for me to believe that any high school in the United States or other economically developed country has NOT been the subject of multiple, independent articles in a local newspaper. Communities big enough to have a high school are generally big enough to have a local newspaper, even a weekly, that covers that high school, or a newspaper nearby that covers the high school. It therefore seems safe to assume that the "multiple, independent" sources standard for notability has been met by every high school. Since that's the notability standard, why argue about notability when it comes to high schools?

Editors who need to actually see the news or feature articles about a high school are being careful, and I wouldn't doubt their sincerity for a minute, but they should recognize that they are also introducing a bias in favor of wealthier communities where there is more media coverage (and media coverage that is likely to have more of a presence on the Web). The bias is unavoidable in many areas, but if we can assume (as I think we can) that local high schools always receive some independent media attention, it seems that common sense leans toward a blanket inclusion of high schools unless there is some reason not to include one (perhaps a private school that is closed, for instance).

Another point: Independent sources that give information on a high school don't have to be newspapers or magazines. The Great Schools Web site has (or tries to have) multiple Web pages on every school in the country. (Other, similar Web sites exist.) It uses information from state education departments that apparently gather the data under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That's one independent source that appears to be reliable (there's also a feature that allows people to comment on the school -- I wouldn't call that reliable. My point is that there is reliable information on the site, and it's sometimes repeated on the state Department of Education web sites. I know Connecticut's DOE has even more up-to-date information than Great Schools).

Yet another point: Just how unreliable does anyone expect a high school's Web page, or a school district's Web page to be? It's not an independent source, but these are so often such good sources that we should give them some credit when thinking about how notable we should consider high schools.

[edit] Some places to go to get information to expand school articles

In the United States:

• The "Great Schools" Web page on the school has statistics that can be put in tables if someone wants to do that. An example of how that can be done can be copied from the Cape Coral High School article. For all I know, a little searching around at the state Department of Education Web site might be useful.
• There's an infobox at the top right hand corner of the Cape Coral High School article. That can be copied, new information thrown in, and hung up at the top of this article, if that's what you want. Depending on the state, the infobox might change, so it's probably best to go to the "List of high schools in --[State name]--" to find a good infobox, or go to a list of school districts to find one for middle schools. There may also be category links for middle schools or elementary schools.

Anywhere:

• A search at Google News or Google News Archives might be helpful in finding news articles about the school.
• The local newspaper's web site archives might have something.
• Take a digital pic of the school and upload it. Stick a message on my user page if you have trouble doing that (I know the basics, that's all).