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<\/a>I proposed to the class that they would be using statistics to decide for themselves whether or not they agreed that their teachers should walk out to demand more money for schools. I passed out forty-nine numbers on index cards:\u00a0 one number for each state.\u00a0 I held our state of Washington face down in my hand.\u00a0 I told them that they were holding one, two or three states in their hands and that the numbers were in thousands.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t write the names of the states on the cards so that the curious could ask about the states they held.\u00a0 One lay way outside the bulk of the numbers, drawing envy and attention to the state of Vermont which spends close to $19,000 per year per student.\u00a0 The class quickly determined that Utah had the lowest spending at a little under $7,000 per year per student.<\/p>\n
I showed the five number summary I had calculated in advance:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Minimum:\u00a0 7<\/li>\n
- Maximum: 19<\/li>\n
- Median (or middle:) 10.5<\/li>\n
- 1st Quartile (middle of the bottom half:)\u00a0 9<\/li>\n
- 3rd Quartile (middle of the top half:) 13.5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I stood in the middle of a line on the floor and proclaimed myself the median (the middle number when numbers are arranged in order,) and asked everyone who had a card below the median (in the bottom half) to place it on the floor.\u00a0 Then those between the median (middle) and third quartile (the top fourth) of the states came forward to place their cards.\u00a0 Finally, I stood at the third quartile and asked the big spenders (the top fourth of the states) to come forward.<\/p>\n
Then I stepped out of the line and asked if anyone had any questions. Hands shot up as several students blurted, \u201cWhere is Washington?\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cI am still holding that card. Where do you think we belong in this distribution?\u201d\u00a0 A few pointed to the minimum, assuming that we keep company with Utah, but most pointed to near the middle of the line.<\/p>\n
I stepped forward with my card with the nine on it and stood at the first quartile which marks the top of the bottom fourth of state spending.\u00a0 I asked students what that meant.\u00a0 They replied with dismay, \u201cThree-fourths of the states spend more on kids than we do.\u201d\u00a0 Then I stepped out of the line again and took my place just eight states from the bottom.\u00a0 I said, \u201cYes you are right, and with a total of about six states spending around $9,000 per student, we are about eight states from the bottom.\u00a0 Do we have a problem?\u00a0 Talk to your partner about whether we have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t ask students to write down their replies because I want them to be free to decide for themselves if Washington State has a school funding problem. I decided that asking them to share would put them too much on the spot. The pressure of writing something down didn\u2019t feel right:\u00a0 It is my job to provide information, not to persuade.<\/p>\n
When they shared out, most agreed that we have a problem.\u00a0 One pair dissented and wisely said, \u201cWe think we need more information. It depends what they spend the money on, like tests or teachers or field trips or sports.\u201d\u00a0 I told them that another data set I could have brought was teacher salaries. \u201cI am fine,\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cbut a beginning teacher makes the same hourly wage as my eighteen year old son does building trails in the state forest.\u201d\u00a0 Another student made the argument that his grandma was a teacher and things must be fine because she has good retirement, but then he caught himself, \u201cWait, she lives in Vermont.\u201d<\/p>\n
I agree with the pair of student skeptics.\u00a0 We do need more information. How districts spend the money does matter.\u00a0 But without the money to spend, those closest to the students — the principals and the teachers — won\u2019t even have the option to choose to spend wisely.\u00a0 I don\u2019t plan on moving to Vermont, but I do know my talented student teacher is leaving the state for Oregon, where spending is near the median.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how many families will join us on Tuesday, but the parent volunteer in the room was swayed by the data to reach out via email to the families of my class.\u00a0 For those willing, let\u2019s meet at Percival Landing at noon, Tuesday, May 26, all dressed in red and walk to the Capital Building for our kids!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a teacher, I usually favor spending money on public schools.\u00a0 Our teachers union voted to walk out this coming Tuesday afternoon to ask for more money for our kids.\u00a0 After the vote, however, I wondered how bad our situation really was. Compared to other states around the country, do we really have a school … Continue reading Do We Really Have a Problem Here?<\/span>