Last week the Charlotte Observer’s education writer, Ann Doss Helms, followed Dr. Stoops’ analysis regarding reliable data on student poverty percentages in schools. No surprise she did not credit him for reporting it sooner. It is the Charlotte Observer!
Helms’ article: “Squishy numbers: Why it’s harder than ever to talk about poverty in CMS” highlights:
Student poverty is at the heart of student assignment talks, but numbers prove elusive
Change in free lunch program brings inconsistency in data
Confusing or conflicting numbers can erode trust in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
This is all basically what Dr. Stoops wrote about in March 2015, and the National Center for Education Statistics reported in April 2015.
For years, federal to local government elected officials have used flawed data to favor financial incentives for concentrations of poverty. Now there is a school board actually considering student placement decisions on this data!?!
No one is saying the needs are not greater for schools with high concentration of poverty, but reliability of actual data is even more important. Especially as the BLOB (Big Learning Organization Bureaucracies) decry the hollow demands for MORE money. No wonder there is an “eroding trust” in government schools.
It is encouraging to see the liberal media acknowledge reality. Maybe if they read Dr. Stoops’ research newsletters, they could stay on top of the issues.
