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Monday, December 27, 2010

John Thompson: Reformers Should Respect Conventions of Scholarly Discourse

John Thompson: Reformers Should Respect Conventions of Scholarly Discourse

A pioneering econometric study mistakenly concluded that slavery was profitable by assuming that half of the mules in Kentucky were male and half were female. Not knowing that mules are sterile, the Harvard professors projected x amount of profits due to mule reproduction.

I do not claim to have as many brain cells as when I was a graduate student deciphering those equations, but back then, scholars obeyed the conventions of honest discourse, and that provided an advantage in debating the significance of evidence produced by algorithms.

The Center for Education Data and Research (CEDR), however, continues the trend of violating the norms of social scientific inquiry in issuing another politicized study. This one is entitled,