Jersey Jazzman is not only a music teacher; he has been earning his doctorate in statistics at Rutgers University. In this post, he uses his knowledge of classroom and statistics to try to educate the chief editorial writer for the Star-Ledger, Tom Moran, about the difference between the public schools of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the charter school of Hoboken, New Jersey. As you can see from JJ’s graphs, they enroll different children. Moran effusively praises a dual-language charter (which does not have a single student who is an English language learner, has more white students, and fewer impoverished students).
Jersey Jazzman patiently walks through the data, and in doing so, provides a valuable lesson in why some charters get better results than public schools. Call it canny, call it gaming the system. It always works.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
JJM has attempted to do “god’s work” :), to no avail: Moran is apparently beyond redemption. How Moran became cemented to his position and why he refuses to crack the cement are other questions that are best left to Moran and his parish priest. Moran’s positions and his writing are reprehensible: they are put to the lie by facts. And facts are not what Moran cares to see. JJM keeps a knockin’, but he can’t come in. What a damn shame and a shame on journalism.
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Congrats JJM on a job well done! It would be interesting to study other areas hard hit by the charter craze using the same format. Maybe some other researchers in some other cities such as Philly and New Orleans could do the same. If it can be proven that many charters increase racial isolation, then it’s time to contact Washington and the media to show them that these policies are promoting segregation. Charters just reorder “the haves and have nots.”
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There is already a NJ lawsuit and a US DoEd investigation re discrimination vis a vis the state-appointed Superintendent’s One Newark plan. The NJ judge postponed hearing set for Sept 2nd.
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Students in several Jefferson County Colorado schools walked out today in protest against the Board’s plan to change the curriculum of U.S. History. The majority on this board are reformers and have already fired the superintendent who had been honored as National Superintendent of the Year.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26588432/jeffco-high-school-students-plan-walk-out-their
Joyce Caufman
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Delighted to read this “blow by blow” retort to bad journalism rooted out of perhaps ignorance for both journalism and statistics? My favorite part was from a comment who read Jerzey Jazzman’s piece and commented said like this.. so the charters have a dual language school and there is not one LEP student at the school????
Sounds equally odd to me!!! There aren’t enough shovels to dig out from all the BS!
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There is already a NJ lawsuit and a US DoEd investigation re discrimination vis a vis the state-appointed Superintendent’s One Newark plan. The NJ judge postponed hearing set for Sept 2nd.
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Thanks Diane and everyone. One small, insignificant correction: I am working toward a PhD in Education Theory, Organization, and Policy, not a degree in Statistics.
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Thanks for the correction, JJ.
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