Having spent my professional career studying the impact of povety and affluence on student achievement (such as test scores with the SAT and PACT), I was prompted by our other discussion concerning allowing private schools to dominate A/AA girls soccer to look at poverty, affluence, and soccer success this year in girls soccer. Food for thought:

School—Poverty Rank (1 = most affluent; out of 209 public high schools in SC)/ Poverty Index

Playoff Finalists

A/AA

CC private
SSC private

AAA

Riverside—2/ 15.84
B-C—85/54.55

AAAA

Dorman—41/ 41.64
Irmo—16/30.7

05/07/06 Rankings

AAAA
Wando—8/23.24
Dorman—41/ 41.64
Lexington—4/16.53
Irmo—16/30.7
Fort Mill—3/16.33
Mauldin—11/24.98
Summerville—32/36.98
Hilton Head—7/22.82
TL Hanna—30/36.53
Dutch Fork—6/21.47

AAA

Riverside—2/ 15.84
B-C—85/54.55
Eastside—12/25.42
Chapin—1/12.1
JL Mann—21/32.23
Myrtle Beach—74/51.12
Greenville—56/47.08
Dreher—52/45.36
Airport—80/53.76
AC Flora—42/42.37

A/AA
BE private
Academic Magnet—5/17.09
SSC private
CC private
Emerald—77/52.45
Woodruff—59/47.62
Waccamaw—20/32.08
Walhalla—50/44.71
West-Oak—N/A
Gilbert—36/38.65

Affluence matters. Look at the listing by poverty index in SC and you see the top soccer schools populating the upper-levels of our rankings and our playoffs. There is a clear correlation, just as with test scores. This must be considered when people say schools need to "try harder" and need to "hire better coaches." Public schools by and large must work with those students who happen to pass through their doors each day. Many schools and coaches are doing outstanding jobs with the populations they are handed; that excellent work often does not translate into success in the ways we measure.