When it comes to education, Wisconsin kids are being left out in the snow compared to Texas kids
IowaHawk, who doesn’t have an Nobel Prize, takes Paul Krugman (who allegedly does have one) to the woodshed on the quality of public education in Texas vs. the cheddar heads in Wisconsin.
To recap: white students in Texas perform better than white students in Wisconsin, black students in Texas perform better than black students in Wisconsin, Hispanic students in Texas perform better than Hispanic students in Wisconsin. In 18 separate ethnicity-controlled comparisons, the only one where Wisconsin students performed better than their peers in Texas was 4th grade science for Hispanic students (statistically insignificant), and this was reversed by 8th grade. Further, Texas students exceeded the national average for their ethnic cohort in all 18 comparisons; Wisconsinites were below the national average in 8, above average in 8.
Perhaps the most striking thing in these numbers is the within-state gap between white and minority students. Not only did white Texas students outperform white Wisconsin students, the gap between white students and minority students in Texas was much less than the gap between white and minority students in Wisconsin. In other words, students are better off in Texas schools than in Wisconsin schools – especially minority students.
Conclusion: instead of chanting slogans in Madison, maybe it’s time for Wisconsin teachers to take refresher lessons from their non-union counterparts in the Lone Star State.
Which begs the question: why do Wisconsin’s unionized teachers hate black kids so much?
Go read the entire analysis. And then tell you’re Liberal friends who harp on how Texas lags behind EVERY FREAK’N OTHER STATE in education to stick it up their ill-informed ass.
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What’s a “Noble Prize”?
Almost the same thing as a Nobel prize. But different.
Fixed.
But it gets worse: using the same data website the Iowahawk used we learn that the average pay for elementary and secondary teachers are as follows:
Texas – $45,543/yr
Wisconsin – $49,730/yr out of which they have to pay state income tax AND $1,100 in union dues.
Comparing equally sized cities, a teacher earning $45,543/yr in San Antonio who moves to Milwaukee would have to earn $53,478/yr to have the same quality of living. Which proves out that high salaried states which are “closed shop” (union) states have a higher cost of living than our right-to-work state. Even comparing Austin to other cities in Wisconsin, a teacher would have to earn more than the WI average to have the same quality of living in any Wisconsin city.
Percentage of teachers in unions in Wisconsin: 98.2%
Percentage of non-union teachers in Texas: 98.2%
Now, consider this: In Texas, Hispanic students make up 30% of the student population, blacks make up 12%. Of those Hispanics students, many are unable to speak even basic English when starting kindergarten in Texas. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has a Hispanic student population of 4%, blacks also represent only 4%. So when Wisconsin brags about its high graduation rate, it is simply because those WI school districts do not face the challenges of the border states with non-English speaking students who are behind the curve their very first day of school.
And…umm…don’t forget what the TCU Horned Frogs did to Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
An excellent analysis by Iowahawk.
Not only that, it shows a side of him that I have never seen. I have admired his musings on hot rods and music, as well as his masterpieces of satire for many years. To see him smack-down Krugman so effortlessly is quite a sight.
I didn’t realize that IowaHawk used to be a Professor. In what, I’m not sure. Though I’m guessing he might have taught “Bitch Slapping 101″ at some point…