Mucking up the data on post-Katrina New Orleans: A tale of two headlines.
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| "No Excuses" N.O. charter ((Mario Tama / Getty Images) |
In our doc seminar at DePaul, my students like to compare and contrast quantitative (statistical) and qualitative (interpretive) methods. Some argue that statistical research is more "objective" while qualitative research, ie. ethnography, participatory action research, etc... is open to interpretation (actually requires it). But every once in a while, real life jumps up and mucks up the data.
For example, here's headline on a story latest study of school improvement in post-Katrina New Orleans. The report comes from Tulane's Cowan Institute whose research has been touted by numerous news agencies, charter school support groups and the Louisiana Department of Education.
NOLA schools show dramatic improvement post-KatrinaHere's the headline above a similar story on the same study. This one is published in EdWeek.
10 Years After Katrina: New Orleans School System Still in Flux, Report SaysRemember, they're reporting on the same statistical study based on hard numbers on test scores and dropout rates. So which is it? Dramatic improvement or still in flux? Or both? Can the same numbers tell two different stories depending on Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mucking up the data on post-Katrina New Orleans: A tale of two headlines.:
