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.

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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.

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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.

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