http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/02/common.html Education News, Analysis, and Commentary Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:48:58 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/02/common.html/comment-page-1#comment-545 Gideon Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:43:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/02/common.html#comment-545 I'd be curious to see whether adults would perform that much better than 17 year olds. Moreover, I bet that 17 year olds could track down the answers to the questions far more quickly than the adults. I'm not arguing that knowing basic historical facts isn't important, but let's be careful about focusing on schools today when we don't know if adults who were schooled in the past know much more. And whether they learned it in school or through other means such the media during their adult life. I’d be curious to see whether adults would perform that much better than 17 year olds. Moreover, I bet that 17 year olds could track down the answers to the questions far more quickly than the adults. I’m not arguing that knowing basic historical facts isn’t important, but let’s be careful about focusing on schools today when we don’t know if adults who were schooled in the past know much more. And whether they learned it in school or through other means such the media during their adult life.

]]> http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/02/common.html/comment-page-1#comment-544 kderosa Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:35:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/02/common.html#comment-544 Hess was careful not to suggest a trend from the survey data and his conclusions did avoid the overheated rhetoric in the forward and press release. But the actual NAEP data does show a slight trend--a trend that cuts against many of Hess's conclusions. It was a mistake not to ackowledge this NAEP data. And, given the NAEP data and trend, it was also a mistake to include the rhetorical alley-oop served up in the forward and press release (and subsequently slammed home in the Times and USAT). This crosses the line from advocacy to agenda. Hess was careful not to suggest a trend from the survey data and his conclusions did avoid the overheated rhetoric in the forward and press release. But the actual NAEP data does show a slight trend–a trend that cuts against many of Hess’s conclusions. It was a mistake not to ackowledge this NAEP data. And, given the NAEP data and trend, it was also a mistake to include the rhetorical alley-oop served up in the forward and press release (and subsequently slammed home in the Times and USAT). This crosses the line from advocacy to agenda.

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