It wasn't easy, but we managed to reach our goal of one hundred followers. Since a few naysayers are contesting our total, we'd like to take a moment to explain the methodology behind the count.
Beginning with our initial count of 22, we added the five of you who joined via the traditional route. Next, using the auditing skills of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe in a consulting capacity, we were able to triple the new total to obtain a subtotal of 81 (27x3). Since, in Alexandria, a zero is no longer a valid number and all F's are D's, C's or Incompletes (<60=60+70/2), we felt certain in advising our consultants that this was a permissible calculation. The 81 was increased by the 'they'll believe this' corollary. That is, if 80% of the people are against longer school days and school years by most reliable surveys, yet the 80% is eviscerated by the ACPS study and published as less than 60%, then add 20 to your total. That leaves us with 101. However, when Mr. Hilburg left with his integrity intact, you must subtract two. Add in, Kiwi Squeaks, and you have 100!
"God is a comedian playing to a crowd to afraid to laugh."
— Voltaire
From today's Washington Post!
ReplyDeleteEven when tax revenue is scarce, lawmakers rarely ask a key question before they vote on education budgets: Which public schools produce the most bang for the buck?
Alexandria's low rating reflected its relatively high spending - more than $10,000 per pupil, according to the study - and what Superintendent Morton Sherman called "achievement issues which are long-standing." Neighboring school systems had higher achievement while spending thousands of dollars less per pupil.
Sherman, who took over after the school year that was analyzed, said the city's schools are moving in the right direction. "We have a great deal of work to do," he said. "Early achievement data shows improvement across the board."
OMG!!! When will we wake up to the insanity that Sherman hath wrought? When will our long city nightmare end????
It's easy to become a follower...just make up an anonymous (fictitious) account on any of the following: Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM, Netlog, OpenID
ReplyDeleteThen sign in using an account you've already created
Click an icon to sign in with that account
Love the creative Math! I am sure that, should you decide to give up every last scruple you possess and cross over to the dark side, Mort would be glad to have such fine skills in 'data collection' on board. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though folks, my lovely friend Kiwi is for real, as am I, Anna banana, and we both follow this site privately rather than publicly, as I know many others must be doing...so 100 has probably been exceeded, in truth, all creative figure jiggling aside.
That's really funny and clever Voltaire. Keeps me from focusing on the real possibility that all the "followers" were created from the same computer. You are funny, thanks for the laugh!
ReplyDeleteWell, I am a follower through my own blog and it doesn't show up on the top. I prefer to be an anonymous follower, without even a made up icon. I do appreciate a space like this. I wish it had started earlier because I was aware of the Connections 3 part series on consultants etc., and had to send the links to friends in the system who were unaware of them. I hope when other articles, editorials, etc are printed in our local papers, that people will post the links here, for others to see. That truly assists in getting the word out, and will help people in responding, like to Ms. Folkerts editorial or Mr. Hilburg's where he neglected to state he was a hired consultant.
ReplyDelete