OLDaily

Reproducibility of Scientific Results
John Wilcox, Fiona Fidler, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2018/12/04

I am somewhat surprised that the issue of the replication of research results has merited its own article in the Stanford Encyclopedia, but at the same time, I consider the article to be a valuable treatment of the subject. My own interest is in part 3 - which focuses on the epistemology of replication (though I think the formalization based on Bayesian probability was a bit much). Overall, the authors conclude, "The subject of reproducibility is associated with a turbulent period in contemporary science. This period has called for a re-evaluation of the values, incentives, practices and structures which underpin scientific inquiry. While the meta-science has painted a bleak picture of reproducibility in some fields, it has also inspired a parallel movement to strengthen the foundations of science."

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Report Fails to Sufficiently Address the Evidence Surrounding Teacher Evaluation
National Education Policy Center, 2018/12/04

Normally I prefer to link to the actual links, but this newsletter article excels in providing a summary of the original report and the criticism. "Amy Farley and Leah Chamberlain of the University of Cincinnati reviewed Making a Difference: Six Places Where Teacher Evaluation Systems Are Getting Results. They find that the report does little to enrich an already tired conversation about linking teacher evaluation to student achievement." Here's the money quote: "a $500 million investment in teacher evaluation that heavily weighted student growth measures, with considerable funding from the Gates Foundation, did not improve student outcomes."

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Letter from Australia: the online avalanche?
Julie Hare, Wonkhe, 2018/12/04

This article is - well - odd. Like the beautifully groomed and very placid snow run used to illustrate 'avalanche' odd. Or the focus on this: “early predictions of an education sector unshackled by borders have not been realised." An odd statement from someone in a country where education is a top export, valued at AUS$32.2 billion (US$24.7 billion) in 2017. And here's the list of companies or institutions that are "disruptors that just might be able to break through" - Minerva, Foundry College, Georgia Tech, MicroMasters, Modern Campus, Udacity and Techtonic. But the best line is by David Pattie in the comments: "Can we please stop thinking about education in terms of markets and product?"

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