Comments on: Who Lost The American Public? [Updated] http://www.edwize.org/who-lost-the-american-public Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: jd2718 http://www.edwize.org/who-lost-the-american-public/comment-page-1#comment-61374 jd2718 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:58:38 +0000 http://edwize.org/who-lost-the-american-public#comment-61374 <a href='http://www.newspolls.org/story.php?story_id=63'>Scripps</a>, the people who did the poll, write: <blockquote>Nearly two-thirds of American adults want Congress to re-write or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act</blockquote> <a href='http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/05/majority-ready-to-dump-nclb.html'>Schools Matter</a> (some sort of progressive ed blog) lifts the quote word for word, and <a href='http://nclbchange.wordpress.com/2007/06/01/sounds-like-a-mandate/'>It's Time for a Change</a> (NEA blog) uses similar language: "Two-thirds of Americans want NCLB amended or abolished." But you've written: <blockquote>most Americans believe that the No Child Left Behind is in need of major reforms</blockquote> I forgive the polling folks, no axe, no grinding. But there's no good reason to spin the numbers. All three quotes spin, when there is no need. There's no majority for anything in this poll. Most people didn't like the law (63-23), but divided between reforming it (more) and dumping it (fewer) (49-14), leaving an absence of a majority <b>for</b> anything. It doesn't stop anyone from speaking to the issue. You don't need a poll behind you to argue that you are right. Jonathan Scripps, the people who did the poll, write:

Nearly two-thirds of American adults want Congress to re-write or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act

Schools Matter (some sort of progressive ed blog) lifts the quote word for word, and It’s Time for a Change (NEA blog) uses similar language: “Two-thirds of Americans want NCLB amended or abolished.”

But you’ve written:

most Americans believe that the No Child Left Behind is in need of major reforms

I forgive the polling folks, no axe, no grinding.

But there’s no good reason to spin the numbers. All three quotes spin, when there is no need.

There’s no majority for anything in this poll. Most people didn’t like the law (63-23), but divided between reforming it (more) and dumping it (fewer) (49-14), leaving an absence of a majority for anything.

It doesn’t stop anyone from speaking to the issue. You don’t need a poll behind you to argue that you are right.

Jonathan

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