We Have Addressed This

Catherine Price of Salon is not au courant - her lead:

There are a couple of questions in life that seem like they'll never be fully resolved. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

C'mon, every kid knows the answer to that.

DARE WE ADDRESS HER MAIN POINT?  Ms. Price is writing on the non-crisis in the education of boys; her inspiration are these Times and WaPo stories based on this 124 page study. (Note - I opened the report and crashed out my PC; might have been a memory issue or something else, but be forewarned.)

This, from both the WaPo and Ms. Price, is a howler:

As for the specific question of whether boys are being hurt by the past 15 years' educational trends, the study points out that the number of boys graduating from high school and college is at an all-time high.

The "number"?  Every town in my part of Connecticut has undertaken a high school expansion in the last few years (following the middle school expansions of a few years ago) to accommodate the baby boom echo, so yes, we expect that across America there are plenty of high-schoolers.  Can we establish a factual foundation for that?  Here is a chap from the Georgetown Office of Admissions:

He added, though, that this year should be the peak of the number of high school students applying to college.

“This year is the official peak of the population, and this is the largest number of high school graduates we’ve seen, so it will begin a slow decline over the next year,” he said.

Or more here.

A different study from 2006 (Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters) found that the graduation rate for boys lagged that of girls, with a notable racial disparity hurting black and Hispanic males.  Whether that gap has changed over time can not be gleaned from that report, which is a snapshot rather than a video. 

The Times describes the new report as offering this information:

The report points out that a greater proportion of men and women than ever before are graduating from high school and earning college degrees.

Which is it, proportion, or number?  Do I have to dare opening that report again?  Developing...

OK, per the nine page executive summary it is "proportion", which is actually meaningful.  This study notes that women graduate at a higher rate, but adds that the male graduation rate is at an all time high.

Comments

[David Walser]

OK, per the nine page executive summary it is "proportion", which is actually meaningful. This study notes that women graduate at a higher rate, but adds that the male graduation rate is at an all time high.

The difference in graduation rates between males and females is statistically significant and has been for well more than a decade. This is true for both high school and college. Despite this fact, many public and private schools have programs designed in increase the educational performance of girls (at the detriment of boys). If girls ever underperformed boys in school, that's no longer the case. Programs designed to help correct the gap in performance between girls and boys have been overly successful and need to be re-targeted (or better yet, abandoned).

[Rick Ballard]

CNN calls Kentucky, only a 17% spread, so far. Interesting tidbit in the exit polls. 17% of the Dems voting for either candidate will vote for McCain should their favorite fail to get the nomination. That's up from the 12-14% reported in previous primaries.

[cathyf]

You should have posted this on the Larry Summers thread. If, as Summers speculated, the mean for men and women is the same but the standard deviation for men is higher, then for every "extra" male top scientist, there is an "extra" male who is retarded and not going to college.

[hit and run]

Clinton up to 28% lead with 55% reporting in KY.

Popular vote lead of 105,000+

[hit and run]

Hillary won Clinton County, KY 92 to 9

Huh, she's winning Ballard County 74 to 16, with 61% reporting, FWIW.

[Rick Ballard]

"Huh, she's winning Ballard County 74 to 16, with 61% reporting, FWIW."

Yeah. We figure there are about 20 Obamatons in the county.

For now.

[RichatUF]

Is BHO going to make his nomination victory speech tonight?

Could make the next couple of days interesting...the Red Witch is making incantaions

[RichatUF]

damn... incantaions->incantations

[Ann]

While we wait for the Oregon results, it seems that the Messiah had help in attracting 75K to his rally -- a popular indy rock band named "The Decemberists." They open their shows with the Soviet National Anthem. Anyhoo, they performed for 45 minutes preceding BO.

Posted by: centralcal | May 20, 2008 at 07:42 PM

Centralcal, makes a good point. Geraghty questions:
I wonder if they played, "Sixteen Military Wives." The video depicts a bully named "Henry Stowecroft" (Kissinger and Brent?) representing the United States in a grade school model United Nations who declares war on Luxembourg. I kid you not when I tell you the video begins with the bully putting on a flag pin.

Watch the video:Obama should of stuck with his first explanation for not wearing a flag pin

[hit and run]

Let me be the first to say that band is a distraction.

[clarice]

I never,never,never want to have anything either of the Clintons want.Are you watching Hill? She's marching on to the WH..

[hit and run]

Gosh, what if Hillary pulled a bigger number than McCain in KY?

OK, not gonna happen, but right now, Hillary has 65 and McCain 73.

[hit and run]

Well, for the 1 voter out of 6 in KY who felt the Edwards endorsement was VERY IMPORTANT, Obama won that vote.

51 to 45

Big time endoresement there.

[RichatUF]

Wow, RW is up by 200k votes in Kentucky.

Clarice, I listened to her speech, she is going to take it to the floor...

In Denver freeze and riot; Eyeless newts and toeless frogs...

[hit and run]

52% of KY Dem primary voters think Obama is not trustworthy

53% thought Hillary attacked Obama unfairly and 52% of them still voted for Hillary

43% still think Hillary will be nominee

Those middle states, I tell ya what

[Elliott]

Have the Louisville precincts reported results yet?

[richard mcenroe]

Actually, you can get an egg from the chicken even if it doesn't come, if the rooster just doesn't care...

[Ann]

Well, I for one, am waiting on pins and needles to see what the Great Obama's Words, Utterances, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIE ">Pie are tonight.

[clarice]

That's the way it sounded to me, too, RichUF

[Rick Ballard]

Elliot,

Yeah they have. Fully 50% of BHO's minions were from Louisville and Lexington-Fayette. Outside of those two areas the Dem vote is running over 80% Clinton.

[hit and run]

Elliott - 94% reporting in Jefferson County, Obama 52, Hillary 45 = Obama up by almost 10,000 votes

Hillary up by 35%, 214,000 votes at the moment overall.

[centralcal]

When Obama speaks - you have no idea what it was he just said. And it's scary.

When Hillary speaks - you understand every word she said. And it's scary.

[Elliott]

Obama currently leads in Jefferson county by about 7%.

On the CNN ticker, Clinton's number of votes is up 20,000 in the last 10 minutes, while Obama has only picked up 6,000. It doesn't look like* It's not getting closer.
______________
*Heeding JM Hanes' excellent advice.

[kim]

Ann, he speaks in glottals, for sure.
=====================

[centralcal]

Kim - gotta ask this - was that you with the, uh, joke earlier today or an imposter?

[Porchlight]

then for every "extra" male top scientist, there is an "extra" male who is retarded and not going to college.

Cathyf,

Yes, exactly. There are more men at the "tails" of the IQ spectrum.

Re: the Decemberists playing at the BHO rally, that fits right in. They are a hot indie band, and BHO rallies clearly attract those who enjoy being seen at all of the hippest functions. I see this phenomenon year in and year out in Austin, at both the South by Southwest and Austin City Limits music festivals. Certain shows are "buzz" shows and Obama is the political equivalent of a "buzz" band.

[RichatUF]

I hope BHO's popularity peeks faster than Hootie and the Blowfish.

[Porchlight]

Oops, that should have read IQ distribution, not spectrum.

Wine is detracting from IQ this evening.

[hit and run]

Maybe some indie band can put some of Obama's old poems to music?

[Porchlight]

It's probably being worked up as we type, hit! With full earnestness and navel-gazing qualities included.

[Elliott]

Shouldn't be too hard to find a tune for "we can't eat as much as we want."

[Ann, a Dobb's Snob Original]

Kim, Would you call him a gnosis with glottals? :)

[Porchlight]

Shouldn't be too hard to find a tune for "we can't eat as much as we want."

Heh, Elliott. I think you're right.

[Ann, a Dobb's Snob Original]

Hit, I promise to change my screen name back tomorrow. But, until then, I like being a distraction. (Thanks, Elliott) LOL

[JM Hanes]

I was looking for the buzz thread! Is this it?

[bgates]

Some of my favorite exit poll highlights:
After 7 years of the worsteconomysinceHoover, 16% of Dem primary voters report incomes over $100k.
1 in 45 DPV's chose Obama over Hillary in the primary, but would choose McCain over Obama in the general.
1 in 20 voters thought Obama shared Wright's views, and still voted for Obama.
Hillary won the Youth Vote (17-24 year olds) 57-36.

Elliott - but if we try sometimes, we just might find, other countries will let us eat what we need.

[Plain Ann]

JM Hanes,

I don't know about a buzz thread, but we are just trying to make it til the Messiah speaks. Speaking of which, where is the ice?

KIdding!!!

[Elliott]

Newt was on Fox last night, expressing his view that Obama's formulation ("I find it unacceptable") regarding criticisms of sentiments expressed by Michelle was rather strange. I noticed that too and it wasn't the first time that I'd gotten the Also Sprach Barackusthra vibe.

I'd been struggling to describe my impression of Obama. But the struggle is at an end. The adjective "pompous" is to my mind quite apt and I am afraid I will cling to it for many years.

[JM Hanes]

Although this thread may never revert to the original topic, I meant to post this tangentially related link in the previous sexist thread, so I might as well tack it on here: Romaticism in the Public Schools.

So, with 99% counted, Hill's 35% Ky win is solid. No matter how you cut it, that's an embarrassment for a unification candidate.

[RichatUF]

I wish the Oregon polls would hurry up and close. Was there any chance that the RW could pull a New Hampshire out of her hat and sneak in a win there or was it decided a while ago?

What's he doing going out and speaking in Iowa now, the Oregon polls aren't even closed?

[Ann]

JM Hanes,

I dare you to put my remarks through the GENDER GENIE, tonight!

Female: 5000
Male: 0

LOL
Oh, here they come....What's with the kimona? ;)

[JB]

"Clarice, I listened to her speech, she is going to take it to the floor..."

God willing.

The beautiful thing about all this is that rank-and-file Democrats are turning on the MSM and their anointee.

Could this protracted primary have the end result of finally destroying the MSM Goliath? Wishful thinking?

[JB]

"The adjective "pompous" is to my mind quite apt and I am afraid I will cling to it for many years."

And the compound-noun "control freak" would go well with that.

[JM Hanes]

I wouldn't gender genie you for the world, Ann! We all need a little mystery in our lives.

Elliott: Obama's remark in re Ted Kennedy struck me that way too: "I insist on being optimistic about how it's going to turn out."

[hit and run]

If you "count every vote" in the Dem race, after Kentucky...(including MI, FL and the caucus states that haven't released final totals)...

Obama 17,228,607
Hillary 17,394,723

Clinton +166,116

Yeah, yeah, lots of problems with "count every vote" with this Dem race what with the FL and MI messes. And of course, not the least of the problems is that the Dems really don't believe in "count every vote".

[RichatUF]

Obama speech:

The war has not made us safer...a diplomacy that is as powerful as our military...nope...I'm just going to wait for the transcript.

Isn't it a bit presumptious for him to be making this kind of speech with Oregon still out there? I mean, it is the RW we are talking about.

[JM Hanes]

My attention just keeps wandering.

[Jane]

I want to know what Obama thinks shows that we are less safe than we were before 911.

And I love the lobbyist meme. The man lies lies lies.

[RichatUF]

Obama going on about McCain McBush...blah,blah,blah...lobbists that run Bush's Washington (like the Teachers Union or the Teamsters)

Tax code that rewards "keeping jobs" in America (his "Patriot Corporation"-real change). Change is an energy policy that doesn't coddle the Saudi Royal Family (like every other president from Roosevelt to today). Change is getting out of a war we shouldn't have started [?] and finishing the war against al Qeada in Afghanistan (he really is that dumb).

I am so hoping that he loses Oregon...

[RichatUF]

Is it still goofed

[RichatUF]

Let me try this again hell they are chanting "Yes We Can" like its a 2 minute hate...

Obama going on about McCainObama going on about McCain McBush ...blah,blah,blah... lobbists that run Bush's Washington (like the Teachers Union or the Teamsters)

Tax code that rewards "keeping jobs" in America (his "Patriot Corporation"-real change). Change is an energy policy that doesn't coddle the Saudi Royal Family (like every other president from Roosevelt to today). Change is getting out of a war we shouldn't have started [?] and finishing the war against al Qeada in Afghanistan (he really is that dumb).

I am so hoping that he loses Oregon...and "Change is Coming to America"...

[RichatUF]

Here is a partial transcript for his Iowa speech

[JM Hanes]

I kind of liked the look of it the first time around, Rich. It certainly spoke to my own gut level reaction pretty directly.

[JM Hanes]

Just discovered that there's already a new improved buzz thread up!

[Elliott]

JMH,

For me it was the "I've got a great looking wife and kids." Not "I'd like to thank my wonderful family, whose love and support have made all of this possible."

[Pagar]

"After 7 years of the worsteconomysinceHoover, 16% of Dem primary voters report incomes over $100k."

Anyone know what the % was 7 years ago?

[Elliott]

I checked the video and Obama's utterance was, "And I do want to take a point of personal privilege and just say that, uh, I sure have a nice looking wife and kids."

After that he launches into to his prepared remarks. Once again, off script, awful.

[kim]

cc, you didn't like my dark critique of the documentary about the Democratic primary process, 'Blacks on a Plane'?
====================================

[bgates]

Pagar - CNN didn't have exit polling for Kentucky in 2000; they did do Tennessee, and found 6% of the Dem electorate over $100k in 2000, 13% in 2008.

[bour3]

It's 100% of historical scientific fact the egg was first.

[yehudit]

"we can't always eat what we want" to the Rolling Stones song " you can't always get what you want"

[paul]

what chance do men have against the power of nagging women?

[battery]

what chance do men have against the power of nagging women?

[sophy]

Please do not hesitate to have Metin2 gold . It is funny.