[Mpls] Delusion & Illusion in Educational Opinion

[David Brauer]

Michael Atherton asks how the Strib can conclude Minneapolis' performance is
"...typical and in some cases better" when the paper's own numbers showed:

> 				Minneapolis 	Atlanta
> Number of Students		48,155		56,586
> Poverty			67%		80%
> Pupil/teacher ratio		14.7		14.7
> Per pupil spending		$10,348	$8,623
> Dropout rate			14.4		7.6
> Test passing rate		55/47		66/44
> (reading/math)

IMHO, Michael picked the least favorable comparison among the six cities
cited. If I cherry-picked, I could produce this: 
				
				Minneapolis	Buffalo
> Number of Students		48,155		45,721
> Poverty			67%		74%
> Pupil/teacher ratio		14.7		13.2
> Per pupil spending		$10,348	$11,067
> Dropout rate			14.4		Not available
> Test passing rate		55/47		22/31
> (reading/math)

So Michael is using the most negative example to make a general point. Not
fair. The Strib did say "in some cases."

BUT WAIT! I usually disagree with Michael on this forum, but I AGREE with
him on the more important point here.

I, too, looked at the Atlanta stats and thought "why didn't some editorial
page editor tell whoever made the chart: 'who cares about Buffalo? We know
we're better than some other big cities - so what? These Atlanta numbers
SEEM to show you CAN do more with less. Solutions are more important, so
let's find out if Atlanta really is getting better results for fewer dollars
- and if so, how."

Then I would've spiked the chart - for as Michael astutely notes, the test
passing rate comparison is essentially bogus. States can define their own
passing level (the Strib acknowledges this in a footnote), and one of No
Child Left Behind's flaws is that several have "defined success downward" so
more schools and kids will "pass."

Michael asked how this junk got in the newspaper. Speaking from  experience,
editorialists sometimes get carried away making their case. That's why
[insert higher power here] made editors. They didn't do their job in this
case.

To be fair to the Strib, the chart at least makes me curious about Atlanta.
So....anyone from Atlanta care to comment on whether we should take any
lessons that city?

David Brauer
Kingfield