Bail Me Out!

Introduction Why You Need a Book Like This PART ONE: PRINCIPLES OF DATA INTERPRETATION, OR, HOW TO KEEP FROM GETTING STATISTICALLY SNOOKERED Beware of Averages Follow the Money Beware of the Uncritical Acceptance of Convenient Conclusions Watch for Selectivity in the Data Show Me the Data! Beware of Nostalgia Beware of Causal Explanations from Correlational Data Be Aware of Whether or Not the Statistics Used Are Numbers or Rates (Percentages) Know Whether You're Dealing with Ranks or Scores Make Sure That the Statistic Used Is the Right One Ask How the Variable Is Defined Ask How the Variable Is Defined, and Then Ask What the Criterion Measure Is Differentiate Practical and Statistical Significance Look for Trends, Not Snapshots Beware of Trends Ask What the Consequences Are Even if the Interpretation of the Data Is True Beware of Changing Demographics Try to 'See Through' Graphs Beware of Big (Small) Numbers Beware of Generalizations PART TWO: ASPECTS OF ACHIEVEMENT The Rise of Testing Types of Tests Other Indicators of Achievement PART THREE: HANDLING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS How Come American Students Fall Farther behind Their International Peers the Longer They Stay in School? Why Are Test Scores Falling? How Come Private Schools Do So Much Better Than Public Schools? Why Don't We Have Vouchers So That the Money Could Follow the Child? Why Don't We Use Charter Schools as Laboratories for Innovation for the Rest of the System? Why Are We Throwing Money at the Schools? Why Are SAT Scores Still Falling? Why Don't Bright People Go into Teaching? With All the Talk about Standards and Accountability, Why Aren't Teachers and Principals Held Accountable?

"An American treasure! Necessary knowledge for anyone who believes in public education." -- Ron Brandt "An indispensable resource for those interested in making sense of the conflicting claims of both the political right and left. His chapters on 'seeing through graphs' and 'other indicators of achievements' as well as his discussion of the Simpson paradox, are essential reading for both consumers and producers of educational research. Recommended for graduate students, researchers, professionals, and general readers." -- F. Galloway * Choice Magazine * "Bracey provides readable review of how basic statistics are used in measuring student success. {He has} an uncanny ability to discover misinterpretations of public school achievements {and} gives practical advice on how educators can be both responsive and pro-active." -- Roland M. Smith "A skeptics joy! Bracey offers straightforward examples and hard-hitting prose that teach the intricacies of interpreting educational data." -- David C. Berliner, Dean and Regents' Professor "In this methodologically insightful book, Bracey provides a statistical roadmap for interpreting the data pertaining to the achievement of US schools. It should serve as an indispensable resource for those interested in making sense of the conflicting claims of both the political right and left." -- F. Galloway, University of San Diego * CHOICE, 2001 *