Experiment on Teachers

I was appalled to read of the experiment that the New York Board of Education was carrying out in 280 schools in New York City (New York Measuring Teachers by Student Progress on Tests, New York Times, January 20, 2008: A1, A15).

In this, teachers in 140 schools are being evaluated on whether or not the pupils in their classrooms improve their test scores, while teachers in another 140 schools are to be used as a comparison group. According to the story you published, many teachers are not being told that they are part of the experiment because the issue is "so contentious." This is a grave ethical breach. For any experiment to be carried out on human subjects, the subjects of the experiment must provide informed consent. In this case, both the teachers and the students in the 280 schools should have been asked to give their permission.

Yes, gaining permission muddies the waters about whether any observed change might have occurred because people knew that they were being observed or whether the recording of progress was the cause of change; but the rule of informed consent must be followed if we are to maintain integrity in social science and educational research.

Sent to New York Times

Make up of Conference Committees in the New Congress

There was one piece of information not included in your otherwise informative comparison between different Congressional sessions (Jan 19 2007: A31).

How do the sessions compare in terms of the make-up of the conference committees where the final bills are drafted and decided on. My understanding is that in the 109th Congress, the committees were dominated by Majority Party (Republican members. Has this changed? Are the Conference Committees now balanced?

Sent to the New York Times

Paying for the Iraq War

One of the issues you avoided mentioning in your editorial is the important question about how the war is to be paid for (Unfinished Debate on Iraq, New York Times Week in Review, January 13, 2008: 11).

It would be unconscionable for us to pass the cost, with interest, on to our children and grandchildren. It would be unwise for us to continue to pass the debt off shore as that puts control of our economy in the hands of foreigners.

We must therefore start paying our way and we must bring the debt on shore. We should have done this three or four years ago when the economy was more robust; but despite the costs we must do it now. We must increase taxes (combine that with a government spending stimulus package) and we must force the richest Americans into a forced savings scheme to bring the debt home.

If we fail to do this we will be letting down the next generation of Americans.

Sent to the New York Times

Picking a President -- through the Constitution (Boston Globe)

Op-Ed: Here is my take on the National Popular Vote Bill before the Massachusetts Legislature. It is the same as the title link.
Here is a counter view from the Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts.

Boston Globe, January 22nd, 2008.

Hillary's New Hampshire Victory

I blame the media for the surprise victory by Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire yesterday (Clinton Is Victor, Turning Back Obama; McCain also Triumphs. New York Times. January 9th. 2008. A1).

For the past five days, the newspapers and television channels have been full of discussion about the possibility of a black man, Barack Obama, becoming President. Despite Hillary's strong showing in Iowa, there was virtually no discussion about the possibility that the ultimate glass ceiling might be broken and that a woman might become president.

The women of New Hampshire were insulted by this lack of focus on a woman's success so flocked to Hillary Clinton in sufficient numbers to put her over the top and made the race competitive once more.

[Full disclosure: I am a supporter of Barack Obama]

Sent to New York Times

Romney: An Old Fashioned Massachusetts Pol.

At last Mitt Romney has shown himself to be an old style Massachusetts politician.

First he is being accused of dirty tricks by Mr Huckabee.
Second he urged his supporters to "vote early and vote often."

Sent to New York Times

There is no Peace Dividend

Robert Kuttner is living in a dream world if he believes that after the Afghan and Iraq wars are over there will be a peace dividend (All our children, American Prospect, December, 2007: A2-A3).

This war is not being paid for. There has been no attempt to pay for it out of current revenue, nor has there been any attempt to fund the war through domestic borrowings through "War Bonds" or some instrument akin the the UK Wold War II "Post War Credit."

After the war is over, the bills will come due as our foreign creditors demand repayment. The current administration's failure in maintaining some degree of fiscal responsibility will do us profound damage in the long run.

Sent to American Prospect