States would have to meet certain conditions, such as hiring "well-trained teachers" paid comparably to those in K-12, adopting rigorous curricula, keeping student-teacher ratios low and assessing youngsters.
Comprising the bulk of the top 10 list are small liberal arts schools like Sarah Lawrence College in New York, Kenyon College in Ohio and Bennington College in Vermont--all high on prestige and low on student-teacher ratios.
Charter schools are the exception, beacons of success which attract many parents with the promise of low student-teacher ratios, alternative programs and proven results.