Though Jack is a very nice and well-meaning guy, his prescriptions and data interpretation remain suspect. With respect to his assertion that “class size reduction works,” take a look at the data from the big state-funded study (www.classize.org). The study found that “attribution of gains in [test] scores to CSR is not warranted” and that “analyses also failed to find meaningful differences” in student achievement related to class size reduction. Despite this data, and other findings related to the chaos caused by this costly and disruptive program, O’Connell and others continue to support this program. These findings are similar to most other studies on the topic. It’s frightening to think that policymakers tout the concept of data-driven policymaking, but throw common sense and data analysis out the window.
Jack lost alot of my respect in the past few years when he failed to take a leadership role in the State Budget battle. Instead of looking at all the units in his department and looking to see where he could make cuts, Jack wanted everything to remain. We all know that CDE is full of alot of personel and units that serve no purpose but to gather information that can then be twisted to the Departments desire. Such as the Field Transportation Unit, a worthless unit full of worthless folks that have nothing better to do than create dumb regulations for the folks working in the trenches. Get rid of the fat at DOE, then maybe the money that is saved can go to the schools instead of the DOE.
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After a brief hiatus, SVEF’s education blog, Thoughts on Public Education (TOP-Ed), is back in a new format. The blog will focus on deep analysis of education issues, especially as they relate to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). These entries will attempt to translate complex education topics for readers as well as invite bloggers representing different perspectives to respond to our entries. We will also invite guest contributors to share their ideas about education along the way. We invite you to stay tuned to the new TOP-Ed.
We thank journalists John Fensterwald and Kathryn Baron for their work on TOP-Ed over the past three years. Their tireless efforts have successfully established TOP-Ed as a forum to present and discuss key education issues of the day. We wish them the best of luck continuing their excellent brand of journalism at EdSource and encourage you to keep up with them at edsource.org.
Though Jack is a very nice and well-meaning guy, his prescriptions and data interpretation remain suspect. With respect to his assertion that “class size reduction works,” take a look at the data from the big state-funded study (www.classize.org). The study found that “attribution of gains in [test] scores to CSR is not warranted” and that “analyses also failed to find meaningful differences” in student achievement related to class size reduction. Despite this data, and other findings related to the chaos caused by this costly and disruptive program, O’Connell and others continue to support this program. These findings are similar to most other studies on the topic. It’s frightening to think that policymakers tout the concept of data-driven policymaking, but throw common sense and data analysis out the window.
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Jack lost alot of my respect in the past few years when he failed to take a leadership role in the State Budget battle. Instead of looking at all the units in his department and looking to see where he could make cuts, Jack wanted everything to remain. We all know that CDE is full of alot of personel and units that serve no purpose but to gather information that can then be twisted to the Departments desire. Such as the Field Transportation Unit, a worthless unit full of worthless folks that have nothing better to do than create dumb regulations for the folks working in the trenches. Get rid of the fat at DOE, then maybe the money that is saved can go to the schools instead of the DOE.
Report this comment for abusive language, hate speech and profanity