tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post4042555623740204993..comments2024-03-28T11:57:21.902-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: Do Americans Overwhelmingly Hate "Woke" Policies?Peter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-53293159859439510912021-05-15T10:09:50.119-04:002021-05-15T10:09:50.119-04:00I took a close look at the survey, too. We picked ...I took a close look at the survey, too. We picked up on different things. I learned a lot from reading your piece. Here's my assessment. <br /><br />After reading the survey, here are several reasons to question its merit. <br /><br />1) There are about 160 million active voters in this country. This survey asked 808 for their opinions, which is 0.0003% of the American population. <br /><br />2) Does this sample group represent the opinions of all Americans? According to the marketing firm, the results were "Weighted on mode of contact, party affiliation, age, Latino ethnicity, level of education." They didn't account for many other factors that could influence the results: income levels, race, gender, geography... Do these results represent the opinions of white people living in Gary, Indiana, only? There is no way to know. <br /><br />3) The survey instrument itself is poorly designed. a) The question order leads respondents to assume that subjects like cancel culture are being taught in schools. b) The questions are vague and manipulate the respondents. For example, “Some schools are changing the way they teach to incorporate more social, cultural, and race-based topics.” Which schools? Schools in my town? Are these changes based on proposed policies? Approved federal or state policies? Are these schools private, charter, or traditional public? If respondents didn’t know, they might well assume that these subjects are being taught in many schools. The survey picks statements related to social and racial issues that are likely to provoke a negative response. Bottom line: this survey asks for people's opinions of what's happening in schools, not on what is actually happening in schools. It is written in a way to shape respondents’ opinions rather than simply report them. The survey design makes negative responses more likely.<br /><br />4) Groups like "Parents Defending Education" highlight the bad news. Here’s some good news from the survey: “Here are some things administrators at kindergarten through 12th grade schools in your area could do. Please tell me whether you know what each one is, and, if so, how important it is that administrators implement each of them.” Most respondents (97%) want K-12 administrators to teach students to reason and think well. Most (87%) also believe that “learning how to think through the issues is important, and students should be exposed to different opinions for and gain an idea. Teachers should provide students with more than one perspective.” If "Parents" wants to represent Americans, it should trust teachers and not try to censor information or shut down classroom conversations. <br /><br />Why does "Parents' misrepresent American opinion? Mainly for financial reasons. Organizations that fund them are working hard to undermine confidence in American teachers and schools, hoping that fearful parents will decide to send their kids to privately managed schools. Prof. Maurice Cunningham describes their background here: tinyurl.com/z6tapapw.<br /> Anne Hartleynoreply@blogger.com