bombshell

以前にMinnesota先輩が同じ表現を取り上げておられましたが、復習です。それがbombshellです。これには「 (通例不快な) 人を驚かすような事」「悪い知らせ」という意味があります（『ウィズダム英和辞典』）。

今回の場合、教育成果を診る観点として「人口統計上，均質とみられる30校間の比較」という新たな項目を加えましたが，どうもそれがそれぞれの学校の現状を伝えうる形にはならず，反対に他の項目の足を引っ張る恰好になったのではという困った事態を引き起こしたかもしれないということです。

教職を履修している以上、海外の教育方針にもアンテナを張らなくてはいけないなと実感しました。（Sugar）

N.J. school chiefs take issue with 'peer group' rankings in revamped reports

The Department of Education released new multi-page "School Performance Reports," that provide an analysis of the state’s schools in detail never before seen. The reports look at the percentage of middle school kids chronically absent; the percentage that took algebra in middle school; and the percentage of high school graduates still in college or other secondary education 16 months after the grads tossed their caps in the air at commencement.

All of those are said to be factors in determining how well kids will fare in college or careers.

But the biggest bombshell may have been a new concept called "peer group ranking." For the first time, the state is comparing each school with about 30 others deemed to be demographically similar.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/new_state_school_reports_draw.html#incart_river
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20120426/1335366187