Thanks for doing the work of looking this stuff up, LL. I'm going to assume it's meant as a serious post, an attempt to change opinions, as opposed to a flame. Despite the way you put a heading on it.
1. The first link leaves a question mark. Who is the author and why should we believe he handled the data well, reported it accurately, and looked for disconfirming data? Until we know more about his professional reputation, it's hard to take it as an argument to change an opinion. More a note that there is some research out there, that, if one were to look at the literature, this essay might be a place to look.
2. The second link is from a Fox News report generated in the heat of Florida debates over class size. Since it's generated in a political climate as worked up as this one is, it's more than a little suspect on the face of it. However, it does refer to the work of Eric Hanushek, which the news bit gives enough information to make that interesting work. You might wish to pursue that by seeing what his scholarly reputation is, whether he is considered thoughtful by his colleagues or ideologically driven. The name is new to me.
3. The third one is from the Heritage Foundation which has a reputation for ideologically driven research. I've seen a piece or two from their shop that was quite good but there is reason to check their stuff carefully before citing it.
4. The last link is to a press release from an outfit in Canada. I have no idea what it's reputation is. If you wish to use their data to support arguments, you would, again, need to provide some arguments as to why one should take them seriously. |
