A Shrewdness of Apes


Thursday, April 17, 2008

What does it mean when the captain grabs the first lifeboat?







So here's the question: what's going on here?





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At 4/18/08, 1:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Objective vs. subjective seems like a false dichotomy. If you're using objective data correctly, you can measure subjective things (yeah, I said it). You can ask if students enjoyed their class this year, if they think last year's class prepared them for this year's, if they feel like they're learning, if they feel like their teachers care.

It sounds like, somewhere in your school system, there is a disconnect: maybe the new super isn't as good with data gathering and use as he thinks he is. Maybe the people gathering and presenting the data aren't doing it right (if I had a nickel...). Maybe the principals believe that there is a objective vs. subjective battle, drew lines, and picked sides.

It's like measuring student achievement. It's a good idea, but you have to work hard to find the right things to measure, the right way to measure those things, the right way to analyze the data, and the right thing to do with that analysis. Usually that doesn't happen (because people don't know that they don't know what they're doing), but it doesn't mean that objectivity as a whole is a flawed tool.

At 4/18/08, 4:25 PM, Blogger NYC Educator said...

Administrators can make a lot of difference in the quality of life issues--do they really want to improve the school, are they just wasting time with nonsense, or are they just plain ornery.

Kids are kids, pretty much everywhere you go, so I can just wish you luck with your new bosses, whoever they turn out to be.

At 4/20/08, 6:48 AM, Blogger Mrs. Chili said...

I have a baaaad feeling about this. Mass exodus is never a good sign...

At 4/20/08, 11:56 PM, Blogger Maestro said...

NCLB is a reality we have to live with for the moment, but it's alarming to see how many people actually revel in it's data-driven approach. Unfortunately, those are the types that are`drawn to administrative jobs in the first place.

Some people don't know how to look at the world without being able to assign a number to everything. *Sigh*


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