So I’m playing around with Ohio’s data on school performance and lots of variables to see if there are any correlations for my statistics class’s final project. And to my (pleasant?) surprise I found out that there is correlation between teacher salary and the school’s performance indicator (a number the state comes up with for each school based on several qualifying factors). And it’s a positive correlation. OK, so it’s not as strong of a correlation as economic advantage or on percentage of white students (since standardized tests are usually written with the middle/upper class white student) but it’s statistically significant. So yeah, pay me more and my school will do better! 🙂
Graphs are cool! I like graphs!
OK, back to number crunching!
Have you ever met Sylvester? Wanna eat with him? Come to Boston in July? http://app.vendio.com/storefront?view=CAT_HOME&sid=739344&mode=1&catId=2884774&parentCatId=2881948
Heh – yup, I’ve met him. No real desire to eat with him. I’d rather watch him perform than eat. 🙂 Thanks for the head’s up. (July will probably be a trip to Chicago – Taste of Chicago and all that jazz!)
Ah, well…I’ll keep looking for ways to lure you out here!
Heh – no need to lure. I want to get back to Cambridge and (while I’m in the area) Cape Cod. But this summer I’m going to shoot for 2 trips – to see Judi (and Elsa) in the Windy City and to see Amy & Rachel in Minnesota. When I’m done with the Masters program, I intend to get back to mucho traveling. 🙂
I found out that there is correlation between teacher salary and the school’s performance indicator…. And it’s a positive correlation. [snip] So yeah, pay me more and my school will do better! 🙂 Good job with the smiley there. Because I know that you know correlation does not imply causality. You should get paid more because you deserve it!
“Correlation does not prove causation” has been drilled into me since I was a kid. 🙂 I told the superintendent the correlation today, in much the same humorous vein as my post above, and we all had a good chuckle. But as he suggested, which is what I feel is the reason, it’s mostly likely the more economically advantaged systems can afford to pay teachers more, and economical advantage is a VERY STRONG predictor to overall school performance.