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ZingZongZaddy t1_jddyded wrote

Reply to comment by Yourbubblestink in Maine has the lowest student/teacher ratio in the United States (11:1) by IrwinRSchyster1

Like every other time maps like these are put together with flimsy statistics, this doesn't paint the whole picture. It's using averages, which usually aren't the best metric since extreme outliers skew the results drastically. Other people here have pointed out special ed classrooms as one of these outliers, for example. Many of Maine's schools have wonderful special needs resources which is a great thing. Many others don't.

You are woefully out of touch with reality with your comment.

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Yourbubblestink t1_jddzyb2 wrote

Numbers don’t lie. I was taught to do math

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ZingZongZaddy t1_jde1m6p wrote

Apparently not very well. Numbers don't lie but people using misleading statistics to support their arguments do.

Using median data would be more significantly meaningful here than averages. I don't doubt that the information on this map is accurate, though I haven't verified. Even if it is, it's basically meaningless.

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Yourbubblestink t1_jdef1e1 wrote

I mean the quality of the math education I received is directly related to the quality of my teacher. So theres that lol.

An average ratio of 1:11, using the same formula for comparison with all 50 states, is real and useful data. I’m sorry that it doesn’t fit with your world view.

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ZingZongZaddy t1_jdefnlp wrote

It's not useful. It's intentionally misleading. Anyone using averages when sharing statistics is either inept or nefarious. Averages can be useful in specific cases but this isn't one of them.

Sorry you've apparently never taken a statistics class. The first thing they teach you is you can make the numbers say whatever you want them to say just by how the information is presented.

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Yourbubblestink t1_jdegbo5 wrote

Compared to all of the other states, using the same formulae, Maine teachers have it easier. Why is that a bad thing to point out?

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ZingZongZaddy t1_jdegwve wrote

Because that's not what the data says. It's flawed from the start by virtue of using averages for its comparison. It lacks nuance and doesn't account for the differences between Southern Maine and Aroostook county. This is the equivalent of a puff piece news story of kittens jumping on trampolines. It doesn't mean anything. It just is. That's why it's useless.

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