Edudiva is blogging about the just-released MAP scores. There’s good news and bad news: Some districts in the greater St. Louis area have high scores, with most students at or above grade level. Other districts have appallingly low percentages of students proficient in math or communication arts. It’s not a simple city/county divide, either. The best districts are in the county, but so are some of the worst.

Chicago has a similar problem with inconsistent suburban districts. They’re considering expanding charter schools in the suburbs, so families in the lowest-performing districts have a choice. Chicago has two suburban charters now, and parents are campaigning for a new one in Waukegan, Ill. Illinois state law allows a limited number of charter schools in the suburbs, and it looks like they’ll try to target the districts that don’t yet face much competition.

The same idea could be applied in St. Louis County. There probably wouldn’t be a huge demand for a charter school in the Clayton district, but new charters in the now-unaccredited Wellston district would give students an option other than leaving the area.