This Week In Education: Thompson: The False Allure Of Statistics

This Week In Education: Thompson: The False Allure Of Statistics:

Thompson: The False Allure Of Statistics

by john thompson

Data-driven school "reform" came of age as Bill James's Sabermetrics was creating "moneyball." Follow Alexander's link to the discussion at the Atlantic Wire about the effect of James's statistics on baseball, and see how the same lessons apply to education reform. Especially when it comes to actually playing the game, "stats only go so far" because they "are much better at illustrating the past than predicting the future." They cannot measure team chemistry, infectious optimism, or a player's (or a teacher's) sheer presence. The lure of statistics has had a dramatic impact for the worse for fans (and education wonks) who have "never felt or contributed to the rhythm

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