I was “lucky” enough to catch part of the Talk of Alaska interview with Gov.
Mike Dunleavy on April 16 and could hear the defensiveness in his voice when talking about his views on education. He sees himself as a supporter of education and someone who acts based on solid research, but I see him as someone who looks for research to back up his opinions.
I will point out one inconsistency that I find very obvious because I can’t cover all the inconsistencies I see.
Dunleavy rightfully touts the Harvard study of charter schools in which Alaska scored at the top.
While I am pleased about Alaska scoring at the top in any nationwide study, it is important to note that even the person who reported the study said that the sample size was too small to be considered definitive.
However, if we assume it is good news at least, and that we would like to replicate this success, why would we choose to change the variables by adding another avenue — the State Department of Education — as an additional entity that can approve charter schools, which the districts will presumably need to somehow accommodate?
Perhaps Dunleavy forgot what he learned in the research methods class he presumably took to earn his teaching degree.
Anyone who has done research or taken a research methods class would know that to replicate a study or expand a good result, you need to do everything the same way as the study you are replicating. In other words, adding another element is changing the study and will most likely change the results.
I can only conclude that Dunleavy has an agenda for wanting the state to approve charter schools and not that he has our children’s best interests in mind. He asserted that the district made it clear that they wanted to maintain control of charter school approvals, but one can also claim the reverse: Perhaps the governor and the state want to maintain control of charter schools so they can approve the ones that cater to their special interests.
— Judith Green
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.