Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics (and Polls)
The Education Trust – Midwest and one columnist at The Detroit Free Press are crowing about a new poll released that says a majority of Michigan residents are supportive of the Common Core.
The Education Trust-Midwest commissioned the poll and in their release said:
While most Michigan voters know little about the Common Core State Standards being debated in Lansing, once they are given a basic description of the standards 71 percent say they support Common Core, with only 18 percent opposing the standards.And by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters across Michigan say state funding for Common Core should be restored. Majority support for Common Core cuts across political parties, geographic region, parental status, gender, age, race, union status and education level.These are the findings of statewide public opinion poll released today by the Education Trust-Midwest and the Michigan Coalition for High Student Standards. The survey of 600 registered voters was commissioned by ETM and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. It took place Aug. 27-29, with a margin of error of ± 4 percent. (emphasis mine)
Here is the description they gave:
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by forty‐five states, including Michigan, which participated in their development with state governors, state school chiefs, and teachers involved in writing and reviewing them.The goal of the standards is to help all students have the knowledge and skills they need in