Data doesn’t talk–people do

Frequently media is off and running with stories about research study without important information. My good friend occurred to drill down and ask the tough questions. For too long we have been shallow when it pertains to facts, and exceptional when it concerns home entertainment. Don Henley sings “Long Way Home,” which contains an excellent lesson: “There are three sides to every story– yours and mine and the cold, hard truth.” Such is with some research study and news. It depends on everybody to determine what is real, and what is not. Information does not talk, people do!

I discover the research study misleading. There are 147 districts in the state, each with unique and unique concerns.

JC Bowman, Executive Director, Professional Educators of Tennessee
JC Bowman is the Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan instructor association headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.Editors note: This piece was initially released by the Professional Educators of Tennessee and is reposted here with approval.

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Teacher Andrea Jones-Rooy brilliantly stated in Quartz: “Data does not say anything. Weve conflated information with truth. Information is essential, but it can be controlled and created in the method concerns are asked.

By failing to determine the 6 private districts, the results from the research were problematic to me– as well as to other stakeholders and policymakers. It would be useful to those 6 unidentified districts.

A media pal was looking into a recent Vanderbilt study on six unknown school districts across the state. The researchers found that “more trainees were chronically absent this fall than in previous years, and absence increased the most amongst English Learners, trainees of color, and students who are financially disadvantaged.” I informed her I was not concerned about the most recent findings.

The question we must ask ourselves is, “What is the possibility of the research study being duplicated or replicated by other research study institutions or companies? We should acknowledge a susceptibility to predispositions in research. Predisposition can take place in the preparation, information collection, analysis, and publication stages of research.

It deserves concentrating on the reality that there was a global pandemic ongoing. A pandemic that no one saw coming, or that we had ever handled formerly. Education was mostly online, so that might point out why low-income, ELL trainees, and students of color did not have internet access or had difficulty accessing online school.

In the last few years, we have seen an overreliance on research from sole sources. In our states public education, much of the education research is done at Vanderbilt or Gates Foundation-funded research through different education nonprofits. That is not indicated to be disparaging, however rather an observation.

This brings us back cycle. Was Vanderbilts research study impartial and accurate? Possibly. Once again, the data might have been misshaped by how the concerns were asked or by some unanticipated predisposition. Who was the audience? Who spent for the research? What was the goal of the research? We all wish to enhance public education, but a little context on the findings would have been useful– specifically determining the districts utilized in the study and recognizing who paid for the research study.

By stopping working to identify the 6 specific districts, the outcomes from the research were troublesome to me– as well as to other stakeholders and policymakers. In our states public education, much of the education research is done at Vanderbilt or Gates Foundation-funded research through numerous education nonprofits. The concern we must ask ourselves is, “What is the possibility of the research study being replicated or reproduced by other research organizations or companies? Bias can happen in the planning, information collection, analysis, and publication phases of research study. We all want to enhance public education, however a little context on the findings would have been practical– particularly determining the districts used in the research study and identifying who paid for the research.

Gavin Freeguard, using a similar theme, mentioned that, “terribly provided information will be puzzling to individuals inside federal government too. It recommends those inside federal government are having comparable battles if we as the basic public are having trouble comprehending messages across (and within) datasets. Indeed, understanding the information is made nearly difficult by the large number of sources in use.”

In addition, some students were still having an issue getting devices. The research study period was over by the very first semester and did not permit for adjustments that may have taken place.

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