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RE: This and that
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From: Charles Bayless <charles.bayless_at_ttmd.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:24:35 -0500
Debbie,
Thanks for the links. This is an excellent example of what I mean by speaking at cross purposes. I am seeking a problem definition and you are offering root causes.
I am asking empirical questions. 1) Is there empirical evidence documenting the nature and extent of disparate diversity in children's literature (by race, ethnicity, religion, gender, orientation, class, culture, morphology, health, etc. by author and protagonist); 2) Is there empirical evidence documenting the effect of the degree of diversity in children's literature on desirable life outcomes (graduation rates, test scores, educational attainment, employment rate, income, familial stability, morbidity and mortality rates, etc.); and 3) Is there empirical evidence that the disparate degree of diversity is caused by structural impediments in the publishing industry. In other words, is there a real issue, does it have a real measurable consequence, and does the source of the problem reside in the structure of the publishing industry. It is possible that there may be an affirmative answer to all three questions but it needs to be demonstrated rather than simply assumed.
While there are challenges to collecting the necessary data, in the scheme of things, these questions are reasonably straightforward and I have been surprised that no one has actually documented what is assumed to be a problem. But as far as I am aware no one has done the research to answer those questions.
Your response doesn't address the empirical questions I am asking. Instead, you are offering theoretical explanations for the causes of an assumed problem. To try and be a little clearer, I think you are assuming that there is disparate diversity in children's literature and you are also assuming that that disparate diversity has a deleterious effect on those children falling into any of the underrepresented groups and that that deleterious effect is manifested in measurable shortfalls in desirable life outcomes. With those assumptions in place (and as I said, these assumptions might be right), you are then offering stereotype threat (the Markus Fryberg research) as one possible root case, the efficacy of teacher matching (the Cambium report) as a second explanation and white privilege (the McIntosh article), as a third.
All I want to know, as a first step, is if there is a problem that needs to be solved, and the degree and magnitude of the problem. Once that is clear, then the next step would be to determine the root causes.
Regards
Charles
Received on Wed 20 Feb 2013 10:24:35 AM CST
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:24:35 -0500
Debbie,
Thanks for the links. This is an excellent example of what I mean by speaking at cross purposes. I am seeking a problem definition and you are offering root causes.
I am asking empirical questions. 1) Is there empirical evidence documenting the nature and extent of disparate diversity in children's literature (by race, ethnicity, religion, gender, orientation, class, culture, morphology, health, etc. by author and protagonist); 2) Is there empirical evidence documenting the effect of the degree of diversity in children's literature on desirable life outcomes (graduation rates, test scores, educational attainment, employment rate, income, familial stability, morbidity and mortality rates, etc.); and 3) Is there empirical evidence that the disparate degree of diversity is caused by structural impediments in the publishing industry. In other words, is there a real issue, does it have a real measurable consequence, and does the source of the problem reside in the structure of the publishing industry. It is possible that there may be an affirmative answer to all three questions but it needs to be demonstrated rather than simply assumed.
While there are challenges to collecting the necessary data, in the scheme of things, these questions are reasonably straightforward and I have been surprised that no one has actually documented what is assumed to be a problem. But as far as I am aware no one has done the research to answer those questions.
Your response doesn't address the empirical questions I am asking. Instead, you are offering theoretical explanations for the causes of an assumed problem. To try and be a little clearer, I think you are assuming that there is disparate diversity in children's literature and you are also assuming that that disparate diversity has a deleterious effect on those children falling into any of the underrepresented groups and that that deleterious effect is manifested in measurable shortfalls in desirable life outcomes. With those assumptions in place (and as I said, these assumptions might be right), you are then offering stereotype threat (the Markus Fryberg research) as one possible root case, the efficacy of teacher matching (the Cambium report) as a second explanation and white privilege (the McIntosh article), as a third.
All I want to know, as a first step, is if there is a problem that needs to be solved, and the degree and magnitude of the problem. Once that is clear, then the next step would be to determine the root causes.
Regards
Charles
Received on Wed 20 Feb 2013 10:24:35 AM CST
