Schools that began with the goal of helping more low-income students get to college have learned that helping those same students finish college can be an even bigger challenge.

Some of the country's leading charter school organizations have gotten attention recently for college counseling efforts that don't stop once students leave high school, as National Public Radio reports:

Top charter schools can often boast of sending virtually all of their graduates to college, even when the majority of their students are low-income or are the first members of their families to pursue post-high school educations.

As it turns out, many of those students don't earn a degree.

Some of the best charter school networks — places like the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) or Harlem Children's Zone — are working to change that. They are not only helping their graduates get into college, but are also counseling them once they are on university campuses. The idea is to boost the number of graduates who earn bachelor's degrees.

These charter school organizations heave decided their efforts to boost students' academic attainment should no longer stop once they graduate. This realization is also beginning to seep into the world of private school choice, where a growing number of schools emphasize college preparation for disadvantaged students. (more…)

The Washington Post recently released its annual list of America's most challenging high schools, and like in previous years, dozens of Florida schools land high in the rankings.

Almost all of the top-rated Florida schools are magnet schools, charter schools, or International Baccalaureate academies — in other words, schools of choice.

There's a notable newcomer: The Orlando Science Charter School, which we've visited twice recently, and which has vaulted into the top 100 schools in the country.

Duval County's elite magnets continue to find themselves in and near the top 10. Several Hillsborough magnets also do well. MaryEllen Elia, the district's now-former superintendent, was a longtime magnet supporter and just won an award from the national magnet school association, where she previously served as president.

The Post's ratings are based on the percentage of students who took exams that could qualify them for college credit, so these rankings complement the recent promising statistics on Florida's Advanced Placement results. (See a fuller description of the methodology, which screens out certain elite, limited-admissions schools, here.)

Of course, like the AP numbers, there are likely important issues the top-line numbers obscure. For example, if a school like Gainesville's Eastside High School lands high in the rankings while half its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, how many of those low-income students are actually enrolled in the IB program that contributes to its high ranking?

Below is a list of the top 20 Florida schools in the Post's rankings. All of them are also in the top 100 nationwide. (more…)