: How big is 35?…Learn to read (the numbers)…
Among the courses that should be required for all journalism students (and working journalists seeking continuing education) is basic statistics. We believe that we have a 50 percent divorce rate in America because some journalist didn’t understand the basic concepts and, through ignorance, created a destructive social myth.
Jay Mathews points out another developing pitfall in education policy: Simpson’s Paradox, which demonstrates that an aggregate group score may show one pattern and subgroups show a different pattern. For example, student test scores may demonstrate minimal aggregate improvement while subgroup scores demonstrate significant improvement. In this case, for “subgroup,” read “minority.”
For another look at statistical silliness, check out this article in today’s Kansas City Star.
