Full post is at WagTheDog

Many people mistakenly believe that the terms “data” and “evidence” are interchangeable, and these words have the same meaning.

Data is factual information such as numbers, percentages, and statistics.

Evidence is data that is relevant and furnishes proof that supports a conclusion.

There is a big difference between independent research, studies, and data collection efforts leading investigators to a conclusion, and cherry-picking data to find “evidence” that will support your predetermined conclusion.

Ed reformers claim many schools are failing to prepare our students for college and careers due to a large number of ineffective teachers working in these schools.

The “evidence” they cite to support their claim/conclusion, is the high percentage (60%) of first-year college students taking remedial courses.

Unfortunately, many ed reformers have chosen to ignore and discount other evidence that could explain the high rate of college students in remedial classes, because this data does not support their predetermined conclusion…

“At a time when more high schools are looking to their graduates’ college-remediation rates as a clue to how well they prepare students for college and careers, new research findings suggest a significant portion of students who test into remedial classes don’t actually need them… Finish reading