Update: Link corrected (thanks, Rory).
I saw this over on Rory’s site:
Today, [Superintendent] Rainwater said, no statistical achievement gap exists between the 25,000 white and minority students in Madison’s schools.
Given the apparent inability of Wisconsin’s educrats to interpret data (see here and here), I thought I’d check for myself–after all, that’s quite a claim the superintendent is making. It took a few minutes to find the data (they aren’t on the download page with the other data, but with the reports), but find it, I did–and these are Wisconsin’s data (which no doubt explains why the data for each group don’t add up to 100%):
| Students in Madison District 2005-2006 by Demographic Group: 4th Grade | |||||||
| Group | Total Enrolled in Grade | Number Included in % | % Proficient+ | ||||
| Black (Not of Hispanic Origin) | 327 | 327 | 54 | ||||
| Hispanic | 215 | 215 | 55 | ||||
| White (Not of Hispanic Origin) | 874 | 874 | 91 | ||||
Let’s look at Superintendent Rainwater’s statement again:
Today, [Superintendent] Rainwater said, no statistical achievement gap exists between the 25,000 white and minority students in Madison’s schools.
And let’s compare it with the data. Only 54% of the black students are proficient or above. Only 55% of the Hispanic students are proficient and above. And only 91% of the white students are proficient or above.
See? No achievement gap!
And for those who really love charts (since the data didn’t add up to 100%, I subtracted % proficient+ from 100 to get % proficient-):
So unless Superintendent Rainwater has some special definition of "statistical achievement gap" or "minority students," I’d say he needs to put down the bong and retake third-grade arithmetic (and perhaps Wisconsin might stop hiring educrats named Rainwater, Dolphin, or SpiritWomon). Of course, that’s a friendly suggestion, and not a value judgment. I would never make a value judgment. That would be judgmental.
rory @ parentalcation says:
Prof,
You have the wrong link for the quotation… my fault. The proper link is below.
http://www.fayobserver.com/print?id=1145092&type=archive
March 24, 2007, 1:44 pmbird dog says:
Prof:
Clearly the teachers are teaching to White Minds and not properly serving Minds of Color. Minds of Color are different, we are told.
One more racist Failure of The System, designed to oppress brown people to maintain the Ruling Class.
March 24, 2007, 3:14 pmCooking the numbers at Joanne Jacobs says:
[…] At my Madison lunch yesterday, several people said the school district was lying about achievement data. After reading Parentalcation and Right Wing Nation, I suspect they were talking about Superintendent Art Rainwater’s claim to have eliminated the racial achievement gap. From the Fayetteville, NC Observer: Superintendent Art Rainwater loves to discuss the Madison Metropolitan School District’s success in eliminating the racial achievement gap. […]
March 25, 2007, 12:03 amRight Wing Nation says:
[…] To refresh your memory, this is what I found: […]
March 25, 2007, 10:47 amWhitehorse Parent B. Thomas says:
Art Rainwater when informed that police had responded to injuries inflicted by Teacher Richard Raith gave the teacher a few days off. I’ll bet this time off is with pay. I’ll also bet his union supported him dispite every student that witnessed the attack was scared to death of the teacher and SUPPORTED the student. This story was in the Capital Times and on TV. Dispite the facts Rainwater FAILED to protect the children in the school from violence both past and future! Please withold my name
September 29, 2007, 2:43 pmWhitehorse Mother says:
I also am very aware of Rainwaters not doing enough about the temper of that teacher Richard Raith. One of the witnesses (another student) has a parent thats a cop. Yet still Rainwater refuses to fire the abuser! Does he take his orders directly from the teachers union. He should be on their payroll….if hes not already. Children are not safe with Rainwater at the helm.
September 29, 2007, 2:49 pmPissed Off in Wisconsin says:
Yeah the teacher was White and the girl was Not!!! She did nothing except maybe its that she wasnt white? What would have happened to the teacher that attacked the student if he was of color? Madison Wisconsin politics are Very dirty!
September 29, 2007, 3:01 pmKent Brockman says:
Yeah thats how Madison Schools work Protecting bad teachers like Richard Raith is par for the corse for a Nazi school dist like they have in Madison.
September 29, 2007, 9:34 pmJoe says:
Why wont the school get rid of a bad teacher?
September 30, 2007, 1:23 amConcerned says:
What help was given to the students at Whitehorse that watched Richard Raith abuse this girl? Maybe they think they are next?
September 30, 2007, 1:30 amMadison, Wisconsin says:
This is why they have such high taxes in Wisconsin. Protecting School employees that belong in jail. Cut your losses Madison send this guy to the curb!
September 30, 2007, 6:54 pmBuckster says:
Looked him up. His arrest record has a drunk driving. Ok thought he was also a drivers ed/training teacher for the madison schools at Laffolette High School. How does a drunk driver teach drivers ed? Richard Raith.
September 30, 2007, 10:05 pmRevolution_Needed says:
The School let him return today. What a Shame!
October 1, 2007, 8:54 amwhos next says:
I guess we have to give him a chance to hurt another student. One, Two, Three strikes your out in the old ball game.
October 2, 2007, 6:57 pmFight corruption says:
Too many dirtbags in Wisconsin. Rednecks at the trailer park are running their schools.
October 3, 2007, 7:41 pmGM says:
GUILTY!
October 4, 2007, 8:29 amKent Brockman says:
Close the doughnut shops and get some police officers back to work on putting this teacher behind bars!
October 5, 2007, 8:36 amEducated says:
The Students have confirmed the attack on the student by the teacher. A Madison detective has taken statements from students in the Whitehorse Tech-Ed Class. The word at school is the case against the teacher is air tight.
October 5, 2007, 7:58 pmconcerned says:
I see the school district removed the principal.
October 16, 2007, 6:31 pmnone given says:
This is correct. Another principal has replaced the temporary one. Ann Nolan will be returning a coulpe of weeks early. So I am told.
October 17, 2007, 4:58 pmnone given says:
Ann Nolan will be back on Monday.
October 19, 2007, 3:09 pm