Re: Public Schools Perform Near Private

[Gerald Bracey <gbracey@starpower.net>]

I've only skimmed most of the report, but it's clear that the
authors were instructed to make it as unreadable as possible:

"The results of the variance decomposition enhance the
understanding of the likely sources of heterogeneity in
student achievement and, consequently, of the context in which
the HLM analyses take place.  A comparison of the variance
between schools for models b and c indicates that schools (in
general) differ widely in measured characteristics of students
that are associated with reading achievement.  Specifically,
when an adjustment is made for those characteristics, the
heterogeneity among school means is reduced by almost two
thirds."  p. 13.

Translation: Schools with lots of poor, minority and English
language learning students don't do well and when you adjust
for that the private school advantage goes poof.

Of course, it's important to keep in mind that the public
schools DO have those kids and you can't make them go poof. 
You have to figure ways to get through to them.

Compare to, say, recent NAEP reports.

By the way, Diana Jean was the reporter who first broke the
NAEP-Charter school analysis and who filed the FOIA request to
get the SRI charter school report.

Jerry