Put your copy where your mouth is

by David Safier
I've been posting and commenting about the G.I. Civics Test since it came out, joined by a variety of commenters, including friend of the blog and coauthor of the study, Matthew Ladner.

One of my complaints was, Ladner was using the study to blast public schools. "Don't know Civics" was a stand in for "Getting a lousy education in public schools."

Not so, protested Ladner. The study lambastes charter and private schools as well.

True, I responded, but your email to the G.I. mailing list only mentioned the public school scores. And let's face it, very few people will read more than the email. The focus of your attacks was the public schools.

Yes, but, Ladner answered, we try to keep those emails to about 250 words, so I couldn't say everything, could I?

I didn't respond, but I know Ladner is a competent wordsmith, so I know he could have juggled a few things around to write in that original email, "Charter and private schools didn't do much better." Eight words. Not hard to fit in.

Now I have today's G.I. email which confirms to me that the whole thing is intended as a slam against public schools, and the parts about charters and private schools were a fig leaf to attempt to cover the naked thrusts that make it sound like public schools are failing miserably and imply that other types of schools, especially private schools, would do far better.

The email once again rides the "public schools are awful" meme without mention of charters or private schools. The 3.5 percent figure is pulled out to show how terrible the schools are, leading to the following passages:

I guess there was no space to cram in any mention that charters and private schools didn't do well on the test either. It was too important to attack public school funding without all those unnecessary distractions.

The fig leaf falls to the ground. The emperor Goldwater Institute has no clothes.